WCI Community

Subscribe Today!

Sections

Poll: What tools do you use the most?

What tools do you use the most?

Home | Features/3-D Models | 2010 Woodcarver of the Year

2010 Woodcarver of the Year

07/23/2010 15:36:00 WCI Editors

Font size:

Who will be the 2010 Woodcarver of the Year?

And the award goes to...

...the woodcarver whose quality of work shows a devotion to excellence

…who possesses a generosity of spirit in teaching others to pass the craft along

…who leverages their skills in carving and teaching even further through their writings

If you have any thoughts as to who this year’s recipient might be, share your thoughts down below in the comments section.

Who Will Win?

The 2010 winner will be announced in the Fall Issue of Woodcarving Illustrated, mailing to subscribers August 3rd and available on newsstands August 24th.

Past Winners of Woodcarver of the Year

Trying to remember who won in 2002 but all the sawdust and wood shavings are getting in the way? Be sure to check out these great books and DVD’s from our Woodcarvers of the Year. As a special bonus, buy any one book or dvd before 9/30/2010 from this list at Fox Chapel Publishing and save 30%* on each additional book or dvd on the list with promo code: wcoty

2010 - TOM WOLFE - As one of the most prolific authors of woodcarving books in the United States, Tom’s instructional texts have influenced thousands of carvers. To read more about Tom, be sure to check out WCI52.
2009 - John Burke - In Memory – John lost his battle with cancer on January 29, 2010. We are humbled and honored to have bestowed the Woodcarver of the Year award to him before his passing. John was known for his highly detailed busts and for teaching carving for more than 20 years. He was a pioneer of many of the methods used to teach woodcarving, as well as the creator of the Burke Sharpening System.
2008 - Chris Pye - Chris has been a professional woodcarver for than 25 years and is a member of the Master Carvers Association. His work is done mainly to commission, with clients including HRH the Prince of Wales. It ranges from architectural moldings to figure carving, furniture to lettering, bedheads and fireplaces. He has also written extensively about woodcarving for several magazines. Chris lives in Herfordshire, England. His website is www.chrispye-woodcarving.com.
2007 - Lora S. Irish and Ed Gallenstein - Ed is very much involved in the carving world as president of the National Wood Carvers Association and editor of Chip Chats magazine. He still plays an important role in uniting carvers and giving them an outlet to showcase their talents.

With over 100,000 books in print, Lora’s popular portfolio of titles include the best-selling Great Book of Tattoo Designs along with a new book titled Easy & Elegant Beaded Copper Je welry coming out in March 2011. Lora has written several books on woodcarving, woodburning and wood scrolling as well as being a frequent contributor to Woodcarving Illustrated and Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts magazines. She has recently partnered with Fox Chapel on her website www.carvingpatterns.com. She and her husband live in Mt. Airy, Maryland.
2006 - Marv Kaisersatt - Marv is a founding member of CCA. He teaches several week-long seminars each year in Faribault. His awards are many and include honors from the International Woodcarvers Congress in Davenport, Iowa where he has won 'Best of Caricatures” in 9 of 10 years, the Upper Midwest Woodcarvers Expo in Blue Earth, Minnesota and the Nordic Fest Woodcarving Exhibition in Decorah, Iowa. Marv lives in Faribault, Minnesota.
2005 - Wayne Barton - Wayne is still carving, teaching and introducing others to chip carving through his Alpine School of Woodcarving and in classes and workshops all over the country, Canada, and Switzerland. His carvings are sought after by collectors and can be found in private collections around the world. He and his wife live in Park Ridge, Illinois. His website is www.chipcarving.com.
2004 - Rick Butz - If you look at the Woodcarving Illustrated General Woodcarving forum from 2009, there was a thread titled “what happened to Rick Butz?” He apparently has taken a hiatus from carving and is a writer working on his first novel. He still resides in New York’s Adirondack Mountains.
2003 - Desiree Hajny - Desiree has won many national and international awards for her carvings (13 "Best of" shows and 90 first-place honors), has been the featured artist for Sculpture Forum and Wildlife Art News, and is a contributing editor of Woodcarving Illustrated magazine. She currently lives in Eckert, Colorado.
2002 - Pat Godin - Pat was awarded his tenth World Championship title at the 2008 World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition. He has received many other awards over the years and his work can be found in the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury, Maryland and in many private collections. Pat currently resides in Canada with his family. His website is www.godinart.com.
2001 - Harold Enlow - Harold has written numerous wood carving books and teaches 30-35 woodcarving seminars each year. He is a founding member of Caricature Carvers of America and a member of the National Wood Carvers’ Association as well as several other carving groups around the country. He currently lives in Dogpatch, Arkansas.

Writings by Past Winners

Be sure to check out these great books and DVD’s from our Woodcarvers of the Year. As a special bonus, buy any one book or dvd before 9/30/2010 from this list at Fox Chapel Publishing and save 30%* on each additional book or dvd on the list with promo code: wcoty

(*discount not applied to the first highest priced item)

Share This Article:

| More

Comments (17 posted):

splinters85 on 07/26/2010 08:15:06

I would recommend Dennis Thorton. Out of all the wood carving seminars I ve attended I found him and his wife to be true professionals and just a nice couple! Dennis always makes sure he spends equal amount of time with each student and that each student leaves his class happy with their woodcarving piece!

savage0809 on 07/26/2010 09:12:35

I would like to recommend Ross Oar. He is a great woodcarver,teacher,artist,&blacksmith.His classes are very professional and each students leave each class with a very good woodcarving. He teaches you about the tool you use & the technique.

outdoor111 on 07/26/2010 09:22:22

I would like to nominate Ivan Whillock of Faribault, MN as the 2010 woodcarver of the year. During his carving lifetime he has influenced thousands of carvers through his writings and classes. He gives unstintingly of his time to help carvers learn to be better. He even gave Marv Kaisersatt his first carving lesson! He has also raised a family of fine carvers who made their influence felt in the carving world - Chris, Mark and Marnie. His wonderful carvings can be found in various churches in the Faribault area.

Dan C on 07/26/2010 12:27:51

BobD - Can previous winners win again? I kind of assume not. It might be helpful if you provided a list of all the past winners along with the year they won, so they don't get nominated again. It would just be an interesting list anyway! Dan C.

Just Carving on 07/26/2010 13:09:11

Dan C. Go to the link listed above or below--it has the list of the previous winnerrs by year. Woodcarving Illustrated - How To Magazine for Carvers - 2010 Woodcarver of the Year

mbus1 on 07/26/2010 16:15:43

I wish to nominate Lynn Doughty as the 2010 Woodcarver of the Year. The quality of his carvings place him highly enough for any awards, but it is his unselfish teachings through his blog that surely put him over the top. He continually finds great pleasure and satisfaction in posting incredible how-to videos and patterns for anyone to view. He offers words of advice to anyone who asks, and is a frequent contributor to the WCI Forum. He is a master artist, painter and carver who truly deserves this recognition. M. Bustin

Raparee on 07/26/2010 16:53:37

My vote would go to Gene Messer or Jan Oegema. Two carvers who have done so much to pass their knowledge along to new carvers.

G.L. Wallace on 07/26/2010 19:23:46

I would like to nominate Lynn Doughty. His style of teaching makes the carving come to life. He shares so much and is always willing to answer questions. His approach is so comfortable, it's like he's sitting in your workshop with you, and the thing that really stands out to me is, he doesn't have to do any of it. I'm sure he would be just fine continuing carving and going to shows. But he doesn't stop there, he tirelessly continues to make videos and teach us without asking anything in return. I for one am deeply grateful to him for doing all that he ( and his Wife) do for us carvers.

Dan C on 07/26/2010 19:59:54

I'll give my vote to Lynn Doughty as well. Hands down. M. Bustin said it very well. Dan C.

Mr. Chips on 07/26/2010 20:11:53

Vic Hood would get my vote. I recently took his class at Silver Dollar City. He has a different approach than most instructors whose class I have taken. While most are trying to sell you as many of thier roughouts they can, even if they carve most of it for you. Vic encourages you to design your own carving. His roughout is a butternut log with a few chainsaw cuts on it, from that point it is mallet and chisel work. When you are done it is truly a work of art. A realistic work of art, since he stresses human anatomy in his teaching. He is a great carver and instructor and I look forward to taking another of his seminars. Randy

A Whittle Tremor on 07/26/2010 23:38:28

I would like to nominate Steve Brown of Madisonville, KY. I had Steve as an instructor the first year that I went to a seminar at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. Steve is not only a very knowledgeable instructor who makes his teaching easy to understand but also does it with a great sense of humor. I've noticed that when Steve isn't helping students improving their carving skills he's helping other instructors getting seminars set up so that we all might be able to learn from them all. This to me makes him the most deserving person for the 2010 Woodcarver of the Year. Patrick Pelkey

djlary38 on 07/27/2010 12:39:52

I would like to nominate Jim Dupont of Ft. Wayne, IN. Jim has been my mentor for the last 10 years. He specialized in caricature and relief, but has skills in most styles of carving. He has had showings in several galleries in the area, and has been a regular at the international convention in Davenport over the years. He has been a student of Marv Kaisersatt for so long that it is said Marv's carvings are looking a lot like Jim's. As a member of the Tues-Thurs Morning Carvers he has mentored many carvers in the Ft. Wayne Area, as well as his friends and followers around the country.

Mark N. Akers on 08/05/2010 18:45:39

I'd like to nominate the Bishop's , this would be a team, they represent what I call a true instructor, they have devoted their life to teaching and make taking a class with them a unforgettable event.

tonyharris2 on 08/27/2010 00:41:55

I would like to nominate Pete LeClair, He is great with his teachings, and willingness to promote caricature carving with countless free patterns and suggestions.

whitetails4ever on 08/27/2010 10:40:16

Without question....Lynn Doughty. He not only provides clear, concise demonstrations, but does so in a totally unselfish manner. He shows all facets of the creativity process; he skips nothing. He personally fields request for more information from viewers, and is a responsible, steward for all those involved in woodcarving. It would take me years to acquire the knowledge he imparts in his videos. He deserves this award for his unparalelled mentoring of woodcarvers! It would be a tragedy if he didn't win this. Tom Philipps

hold still on 10/16/2010 18:39:29

I would agree Lynn Doughty deserves this recognition.

chuckbolton on 10/18/2010 09:00:30

there are many excellent carvers out there-- i havent checked-- what is the criteria for being "woodcarver of the year" ? my experience is only in the midwest-- and i can think of several excellent instructors that havent been mentioned-- they like vic hood are process oriented not project oriented. the goal of a woodcarver as i see it is to improve your own carving skills. it seems to me that many who take classes have a goal of going home with a finished piece-- they may or maynot be able to reproduce what was taught in the class. several yrs ago i took a class and it was two years before i realized that the carving was mostly done by the instructor ( it was my second class) if you have taken many classes or been to many of the larger seminars you have your favorite- the instructor who connected with you and that person is understandably your choice for carver of the year-- if i was to nominate one-- and all that have been mentioned are superb carvers, id suggest janet denton cordell. to me she is a true artist- she is able to carve most anything and is very down to earth with her instruction methods.

View thread

Email to a friend

To:

Bcc:

Your email address:

Message:
Print version
Plain text

Rate this article

4.00