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Seminar
& Classes Information
Seminar
Sessions Information
Our organization
prides itself in being able to offer you some of the finest
learning opportunities you will encounter at one time. You
can join by filling out an Membership
Application and sending it with a check or money order
to: AWC Ltd, PO Box 104, Bettendorf, IA 52772.
Anyone
who is a member of AWC Ltd. can take a seminar. Membership
is $15.00 per year (USA), $20.00 (Foreign) and runs the calendar
year from January to December.
Seminar and Class information
Shipping
& Packing information
T-Shirt
& Patch order form
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| FIVE-DAY
CLASSES: MONDAY - FRIDAY, JUNE 14 to 18
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Carving
and Painting a Cypress Knee Father Christmas
Carole
Jean is well known for her cypress knee carvings which
include a large number of Santa figures. Her background
is in photographic art, and she has used this expertise
in developing her carvings. She has been carving for
22 years and claims her enjoyment from carving gets
better every year as well as her talent.
You’ll
be carving from a 20 to 30 inch tall cypress knee. The
first day will be spent making your “roughout”. Pictured
is an example of what the project will look like. Days
two, three, and four will be spent carving, woodburning
and refining a full-length Father Christmas. You will
be able to incorporate some of your own ideas when developing
the final project. Day five will be spent painting the
Father Christmas. Carole Jean assures us that it will
take that long to do it right. |
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Fred
Cogelow, Willmar, MN
Horse
Head in the round: (“One moor time with feelin....”)
In honor
of the transition to Maquoketa, Iowa and the bucolic
passions the move inspires, fredgelow somebody has chosen
to resurrect a subject dear to country folk, last taught
in ’96. The carvings will be roughly one-third size,
in butternut. Emphasis will again be on character and
feeling, employing both anatomical correctness (with
particular attention to eyes and nostrils) and departures
from it to achieve those goals.
Those
who might be reluctant to bite off a bit more than they
can chew have the option of doing this project in relief.
(There is no intent to execute manes in the acanthus
style shown, tho participants are free to do so. Students
inclined towards a particular profile should bring ample
reference materials reflecting what they want to accomplish.) |
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Neil
Cox - Toronto, Canada - Carving a Face with Expression
For those
of you familiar with Neil’s course, this time he will
be making some changes to the format. The focus will
still be on seeing, however the immediate object will
be to carve a face with a particular expression. In
this respect the goal will be to become familiar with
facial anatomy and how to manipulate it to create a
particular expression and feeling.
The expression
for this course will be a strongly smiling male face.
A roughed out blank will be provided and students will
have access to some research material as well as be
encouraged to create their own. Some of the areas of
focus will be the flesh around the eyes when they are
squinting in a strong smile, as well as teeth that are
showing through an open smiling mouth.
We will
start with some sketching and modeling, as well as some
practice carving. Unfortunately, (Neil’s word) there
will be some lecture as well. Then people can proceed
to carving their roughed out blank, making it as lively
as possible based on what they have learned. |
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John
Engler, Battlefield, MO - Middle Relief Woodcarving
John
has been a professional woodcarver for over 25 years.
Born into a family of artists, he began carving while
attending Southwest Missouri State University. In 1983
he was awarded a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree while
developing his unique style of relief woodcarving and
watercolor painting.
John’s
class will involve instruction on the art of medium
relief woodcarving. A painting class will follow on
Friday. No experience is necessary. A wide variety of
subject matter will be available to students. These
will include animals (i.e. bears, moose, cougars, etc.),
architecture (barns, cabins, mills, etc.) and other
interesting projects as well. Clear and concise instruction
on relief carving techniques will be emphasized. Please
go to John’s website (www.johnenglerwoodcarvings.com)
to view completed projects that will be available to
students. |
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Leah
Goddard, Sarasota, FL - Realistic Animal Carving:
Carve
and paint a realistic bear using simple hand tools and
a wood burner. Starting from a basswood rough-out, discover
the techniques used to create all realistic mammals.
Close attention will be paid to anatomy and detail.
Students will learn the step-by-step process of carving,
texturing and painting techniques used to bring all
animal carvings to life.
Leah
Goddard (formally Wachter) lives in Sarasota Florida.
She is an artist, elementary teacher, wood carving instructor,
and author of both magazine
articles
and the book Carving Nature’s Rascals; Wood Carving
an Armadillo, Skunk, Mouse and Raccoon. She was featured
on the DYI Network Wood Sculpting series, and has won
numerous awards. Leah teaches wood carving both at home
and around the country. |
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Josh
Guge, Gilberts, IL - This class has the whole package!
Carving
a fish of your own choice, Making habitat, and Learning
the Airbrush!
Hey fish
guys! Now is the chance to pick your fish! Carve whatever
fish you want! This class is designed for both the beginner
and more advanced carvers. Students will be challenged
at their own skill level. They will also learn to create
realistic looking habitat to go with the piece. Josh
has 10 different fish and amphibian casts available
to choose from. These casts include: bluegill, small
mouth bass, walleye, crappie, rainbow trout, clown,
copper band butterfly, saddle back butterfly, queen
angel, and green sea turtle. If you choose from one
of these casts, Josh will provide you with one to use
during the week and it will be available for purchase
at the end of class. If you choose to do a fish other
than those listed above, there will not be a cast available.
Josh
has recently won two 2009 World Titles with salt-water
fish and habitat! Come and learn from the best! Don’t
forget! As a bonus, Josh always uses an airbrush to
establish base coats on his projects, so each student
will learn to use the airbrush. Let Josh know ahead
of time what fish you choose. You can call him at 224-629-0581.
Supply fee: $20 |
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Vic
Hood and Terry Brasher
A Indian
Scout Bust or a Bust of Your Own Design
Vic will
be returning this summer doing one of his very large
bust projects. He will be accompanied by his most capable
assistant, Terry Brasher. She’s the one who has been
accompanying Vic for a number of years and helping him
get out of trouble when he gets in over his head! You
know we’re just teasing you Vic, even though last year
while you were judging the first two days of class,
everyone in class didn’t seem to know you were gone.
Vic
and Terry will be offering an Apache Scout Indian Bust
as their class project. For those of you who want to
do something else on your own, you are encouraged to
develop your own design and they will be there to guide
and direct. If you plan on doing your own design, Terry
and Vic need to talk to you prior to class to customize
a blank for you. The cost for the Apache Indian Scout
blank or your custom blank will be anywhere from $75
to $95 depending on prevailing wood prices at the time.
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Chris Howard, Gatlinburg,
TN - Deep Relief Portrait Carving
Working from a picture
of their choice, you will learn the variety of techniques
utilized to capture a realistic likeness in a deep
relief. The project pictured here is an example
of what can be done. You will be using basic hand
tools to do the project. Your sculpture will be
created on a 10” x 5” x 2” piece of butternut wood.
All the steps of the learning process will be covered
in detail by Chris. Those
include: laying out
the design, blocking out the rough design, detail
carving, texturing and finishing . Students are
encouraged to bring as much reference material of
their subject that they can obtain. If it is someone
you can photograph, take multiple closeup shots
from different angles so more detail can be captured.
Chris studied commercial
art and design while working in France for the motion
picture industry. He has been carving and teaching
human busts of various ethnic groups professionally
for 10 years. He is a contributing writer for Carving
Magazine and has been featured on the DYI Network
television series “Wood Sculptors.”
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Charley Phillips, Newark,
TX - An Iris Plaque
The project will be
oval shaped and is approximately 14” x 17” and 3/4”
thick. Multiple Iris flowers adorn the plaque with
intricate movement in the flower’s leaves. Charley
is known for her delicate floral carvings on many
decorative and architectural items. A decorative painter
for many years, she turned to woodcarving in 1995.
Her work has won awards
in several regional woodcarving shows. She has written
articles for Woodcarving Illustrated featuring her
unique floral relief carving projects. Tools needed
include the usual assortment of gouges, skews and
v-tools in palm tool sizes. There are a number of
“Denny” tools that she
absolutely can’t live
without!
She will be sending
out a tool list closer to the start of Congress. For
those that finish early, paint and brushes will be
available to finish the project.
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TWO-DAY
CLASSES: MONDAY - TUESDAY, JUNE 14 - 15
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Vicki
and Phil Bishop, Elk City, OK - Caricature Carving:
This
“Dynamic Duo” of caricature carving has taught their
style of carving, literally from coast to coast. In
2010, they are going to be teaching from home except
for the Congress. Pictured are two new pieces that
you can look forward to carving: Silky & Santa
Noggin. Every year they try to come up with a number
of new and exciting subjects from which to choose.
They have 40+ different subjects at any given time
that range from cowboys to Santas to animals, etc.
They
will help fine tune your skill on the face, hands,
clothes, and the overall structure of your piece.
You just can’t help but learn a lot from these two.
If you enjoy the art of caricature carving and want
to learn a bunch, as well as having a good time doing
so, then sign up early. They will also be teaching
a 3-day class right after this one ends.
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Mike
Shipley, Dora, MO - Caricature Santas, Snowmen, Bears,
etc.:
Mike
is a self taught carver. He teaches clean cuts, bigger
cuts, helping to build confidence in completing a
piece. He has been carving since 1976, turning professional
in 1986 and starting to teach in 1996. Pictured are
four of about 50 choices you have to carve in Mike’s
class. Students usually finish 2 or more pieces in
a 2 day class.
You
leave with a piece completely carved and painted.
Mike’s wife Sherry helps with the painting. He has
authored a number of different books through the years
to include his two most recent and most popular ones:
“Woodcarving the Country Bear and His Friends” and
“Woodcarving Country Folk”. His blanks will run from
$10 to $33. Mike will also be following up with a
3-day class.
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2
ONE-DAY CLASSES: MONDAY, JUNE 14 & TUESDAY, JUNE
15
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Donna
Menke, Dale TX -
Painting
your carvings and Making color work for you
In
the first half of this informative class, you will
be discussing the best ways to finish your carvings
to have them end up looking like fine pieces of art.
You will make your own color wheel, learning how color
works, the
influence
one color has upon the others and the benefits of
using very little paint. Unfortunately, the sample
of the color wheel shown is not in color so you really
can’t see what a helpful tool this will be. Ultimately
you will be able to match any color using just 3 basic
colors and 3 drops of paint. Yes, drops! All materials
will be supplied.
In
the afternoon session, you will work on a finished,
but unpainted, carving of your own. With Donna’s advice
you will be able to make progress on finishing any
carving you have. All supplies will be provided for
painting with acrylic paints, but if you have certain
paints and/or brushes you especially like, bring them
along. Having trouble painting? Sign up now!
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Denny
Neubauer, Des Moines, IA - Making your own carving
knife
Yes
... this is the “Denny” who makes those great tools
that you’ve been using for all these years. You will
now have the opportunity to make a couple of those
knives that has made him a force in the woodcarving
tool world.
You
will be starting with a laser-cut raw knife blank
and take it step by step from hardening and tempering
to a polished creation of your own. You will also
learn the centuries-old secret techniques Denny uses
for sharpening. Each student will finish two knives
with choices of handle materials including Purpleheartwood,
Oak, and Mahogany. Materials cost will be $35 for
all the material to make two knives. Student needs
to supply a pair of leather gloves, safety glasses
and dust mask.
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THREE-DAY
CLASSES: WEDNESDAY - FRIDAY, JUNE 16 - 18
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Wayne
Barton, Park Ridge, IL - Chip Carving:
There
is not a place in all of North America that you can
go and just mention chip carving without the name Wayne
Barton coming up in the conversation. Single -handedly,
he has been the driving force of the recognition and
renaissance chip carving has enjoyed in North America
this past quarter century.
If the
project pictured looks familiar, it’s because it is
the same picture that we used last year. Wayne will
have a different challanging project for class, but
we were unable to get a picture in time for publication.
It will be designed for the intermediate to advanced
chip carver. Design and layout functions will be discussed
in the class as well as some advanced carving techniques
and theory. In other words, you’ll be getting everything
that this well-seasoned chipper has to offer. |
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Peter
Benson, Essex, England, - Netsuke Carving
Pronounced
“net-sue-key” or “net-skee”, a netsuke is a carved wooden
or ivory ornamental toggle worn at the end of a cord
that holds a kimono closed, originally used to fasten
a purse or pouch. In the days when the wealthy Japanese
men wore kimonos, that had no pockets, their valuable
small items like medicine, seals and money were kept
in small pouches tucked into the sash for safe keeping.
The class
will involve picking a subject and playing around with
a design using plasticine or modelling clay until something
suitable emerges. There will be examples available as
well as a selection of reference books to help with
ideas. It will be an opportunity to let your mind free
and produce something that really means something to
you and is totally unique. If this frightens you the
there will be some fairly simple examples that you can
copy or adapt to suit your needs.
There
are no real rules, no patterns to constrain you. You
can do whatever takes your fancy as long as it will
fit into a two inch cube of timber. You will be provided
with a piece 2 x 2 x 6 inches as you will need some
extra to hold. It also gives you the option to try another
or start again. As we will be using Basswood, you should
manage with a sharp knife and a selection of small palm
gouges (and, of course, a safety glove!)
Peter
is Chairman of the British Woodcarvers Association.
Since retiring from full-time employment teaching children
with special educational needs, he has set up The Essex
School of Woodcarving in his studio at home. Don’t miss
out on this wonderful opportunity to study with one
of England’s finest carvers. |
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Vicki
and Phil Bishop, Elk City, OK
Caricature
Carving:
Here
is another chance to sit and learn from the Bishops.
A whole bunch of carvers like to sign up for both
the two-day and three-day sessions in order to get
in as much Okie Learnin’ as they can! Pictured are
two more new roughouts they have added for your carving
enjoyment in 2010, Cooter and Joe Boxer. They join
the ranks of 40+ other choices you have when carving
with Phil and Vicki. Besides learning a whole lot
about caricature carving, you’re gonna have a darn
good time!
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Bob
Guge, Sleepy Hollow, IL - Carving and Painting a Realistic
Cardinal
Pictured
is the bird Bob will be doing for his 3 day class at
the 2010 Congress. Keep in mind, his is a power carving
class which means grinding tools and dust collectors.
The Cardinal can be completed in different ways. If
you are an accomplished bird carver, you may be able
to get it fully textured and burned, ready to paint.
If you prefer, you can texture in some of the main feather
groups and paint in others. Or you can even treat it
like a “smoothie” and just paint in most of the feathers.
It all depends how much you want to put into the project.
Bob will
take you through the steps regardless of your experience
level. You will have a cast of the completed bird to
paint on if you don’t want to rush through the project.
From rough shaping, to detail carving, to texturing,
to burning, to painting; you’ll get it all! Sign up
to learn from one of the best teachers in the bird business.
Class material cost: $30.00 |
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Rick
Harney, Normal, IL - Very Shallow Relief Carving
Rick
is returning to the Congress as an instructor after
a long absence. This is the first time he will serve
on the judging team. He is a two-time Congress Best
of Show winner (1992, 1995). Rick has a BS in art
from Illinois State University and has exhibited at
the Gilman Gallery in Chicago. His woodcarving was
put on hold for some time while he worked in other
media to include clay, papier mache and bronzes. His
bronze work depicting Abe Lincoln can be found in
many locations around Illinois, as well as other life-size
pieces.
Rick’s
drawing of “Van Gogh’s Well Dressed Friend” is the
subject matter for his class. The work will be done
from a 3/4 inch thick basswood cutout. Each student
will be provide with a copy of the drawing as well
as a resin casting of the original. There will be
a nominal fee for the cutout and the castings will
be available for sale at the end of class.
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Donna
Menke, Dale, TX
Carving
and painting a Realistic Hummingbird
using
hand tools, not power!
If you
always wanted to do a realistic bird, but didn’t want
to put up with all the grinding and dust involved with
power carving, then this is the class for you. In this
3-day class, you will finish a three-dimensional, life-size,
realistic hummingbird. You will carve, fit, burn, assemble
and paint this beautiful bird with inserted wings, tail
feathers and glass eyes. This is not an easy class -
and Donna is a tyrant (her words, not ours) - but you
will be very happy with your completed project. All
materials and workbook will be provided. Basic palm
tools and a wood burner are required. |
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Mike
Shipley, Dora, MO
Caricature
Santas, Cowboys, Pumpkin Heads, etc.:
Here
is a look at a few more finished pieces and roughouts
Mike offers in his class. He has a wonderful selection
of cute, easy-to-carve subjects. His straight forward
method of teaching with big, bold cuts makes it very
easy for carvers to go home with multiple pieces from
his class.
With
his wife’s help with the painting, there is no reason
why 2, 3 or more pieces can’t be carved, painted and
stained and ready to go home with you.
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2-DAY
NON-CARVING CLASS: MON. - TUES, JUNE 14 - 15
3-DAY NON-CARVING
CLASS: WEDS. - FRI, JUNE 16 - 18
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Patty
& Adair Rucker, Lockhart, TX - Scrimshaw and/or
Woodburning
Scrimshaw
and Woodburning techniques will be demonstrated at
the beginning of class. Students can try both or select
the class they prefer to continue. With Scrimshaw
(an example is pictured to the left), the student
will learn certain techniques by scratching an image
on a practice panel of plexiglass. They will fill
the scratches with oil paint (or ink) and wipe the
oil from the surface, leaving the oil in the scratches.
Scrimshaw
is used on any surface that will take a scratch, such
as plexiglass, bone, and ivory. It is used for items
such as jewelry or knife handles. A wide range of
subjects for patterns will be provided, such as animals,
birds, flowers, people, etc.
With
woodburning (the example on the right), Patty will
be teaching a soft shading technique with the end
results looking like a photo. However, students can
wood burn in any style they wish. Patterns, paints,
transfer papers, and the first practice panel will
be provided for a class supply fee of $10. Additional
items are available for sale in class.
The
Ruckers will first teach a two-day session, followed
by a three-day session. You can sign-up for either
one or both. Regardless of what you choose, they will
have plenty of different projects available to keep
you busy.
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ONE-DAY
NON-CARVING CLASSES:
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Gen
Kreyling, Arnold, MO - Woodburning
Mon,
June 14 - Tues, June 15 - Wed, June 16 - Thurs, June
17 - Fri, June 18
Gen’s
classes are geared toward folks who have never woodburned
before to the very experienced person. In this class
Gen will teach the very basics of Pyrography (woodburning)
for beginners. She will demonstrate which pens work
best for what, and why. Come for one day, two days,
or all week. Beginning projects will require at least
one day while more advanced ones can be completed
with additional days.
More
advanced students can choose a project, bring a pattern
of their own, or make a pattern from a book on my
copier and work on it for 1 or more days. Project
price ranges from $1.00 - $20.00. If you have a specific
project that you would like to do, please bring it
with you.
Tools
required: wood burner, (Gen will have her preferred
burners and pens for sale), graphite paper (NOT CARBON),
red ink pen, clear ruler, pencil, and white eraser.
A light could be helpful. Gen will provide beginning
boards and project. Burners, pens, graphite paper,
and red ink pens will be available for sale.
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Sandy
Wirtz, Wisconsin Rapids, WI
Monday,
June 14 - A “Pot Belly Bucket” Basket
This
basket is made with flat reed of natural and space
dyed color. Its’ size is approximately 30” circumference
by 9” high. Fun to make and fun to use! With your
choice of color to fit any decor, you will find many
uses for it. Material fee: $25.
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Sara
& Larry Cornwell, Morton, IL
Creating
a Turtle Top Southwestern Gourd - Thursday, June 17
Sara
and Larry will be teaching students to create a decorative
Southwest gourd. The Southwest gourd has a removable
turtle top and four southwest silhouettes cut around
the outside of the gourd. Students will cut the top,
clean out the inside, cut the silhouettes and apply
leather dyes. Size is roughly 8” x 8” x 7”. Cost:
$20 includes gourd, use of gourd tools and leather
dyes.
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Creating
an Autumn Leaf Decorative Gourd - Friday, June 18
In
this class, Sara and Larry will be teaching students
how to create an autumn leaf wall hanging. The students
will be able to select oak, maple and/or sassafras
leaves. You will also have the option of partially
or completely covering the gourd with the leaves.
Size is about 8” x 12” x 4”. Material cost: $20 includes
gourd, use of gourd tools, and leather dyes.
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Tuesday,
June 15 - A Contour Basket
This
basket has flat back with an offset handle so it can
hang on the wall or sit next to the wall. A great
mail holder! It is approximately 4” x 10” x 13”. It
is made with flat natural reed and topped off with
braided color reed. This basket looks nice anywhere.
Material fee: $25.00
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Gay
Greer, Anderson, SC - Decorative Beading Seminars
Salvation
Bracelet - June 17
OK, so
you don’t like to woodburn and you’re really not into
basketweaving, so how about making a fine piece of jewelry?
Once
again, it’s a shame we can’t produce these pictures
in color because you are missing out on the beauty of
these gorgeous bracelets. The first day, Gay will have
two bracelets available to work on. The Salvation Bracelet
has different color beads that are used to tell a story.
The Cube Square Stitch Bracelet incorporates some unique
bead weaving techniques. The kit price of the bracelets
is $15. |
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A
Crystal Ladder Bracelet - June 18
The Crystal
Ladder Bracelet offers you a very elegant piece of jewelry
when you are done. Even though it is a bit more challenging
to do, it can surely be done in a day. There will be
a number of color choices. Kit $20.
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