[Anthony Filetti]

I'm back folks!! I've just returned from a week long carving class at the Folk School, and here's my story:

While I was there to carve, others came to tie flies, blacksmith, make chocolate, build dulcimers, turn bowls, make brooms, etc. ...etc. It was said that there were over 150 students in classes last week.
The school is located in Brasstown, NC (extreme western portion of the state) and in the week I attended there were folks from NY (myself and others), PA, FLA, GA, TE, NC, and a wild crowd from CO. I arrived on Sunday to check in and after getting settled in my dorm in the Keith House I attended a brief orientation to meet my instructor and then it was off to dinner. The meals were served family style in a nice dining hall and were quite diverse. After dinner I was off to the Carving Studio to begin.
My class was being taught by Gary Falin, who teaches as well as he carves. He is a former school teacher and is an award winning carver taking several "Best-of-Show" honors at varying competitions. I can't say enough about his abilities to instruct and the patience he shows. Our class included everyone from beginners to the most experienced and we all came away with an increased knowledge of the subject. I almost ran out of paper taking notes (LOL!).
Upon entering the studio Sunday night we found that Gary had his sample carvings on display as well as an ample supply of roughouts and blanks. All in the class agreed that the wood used in his roughouts was beyond compare. All clean and pure which made the carving easy and enjoyable. At this point everyone was to select a roughout (or blank) for the item that they were going to carve, most of which he had a model which you could look at while you carved or at the least a 4 view picture of the completed work. Gary also brought with him a selection of tools for sale (I picked a beauty of a knife). And while I had packed my paints Gary had brought a full supply including brushes. So here we are Sunday night breaking off chips. We carved for a couple of hours and it was time to call it a night.

Day2 (Monday): Woke up early, morning walk was at 7 but I decided it was better to grab a cup of coffee and head for the veranda. The veranda became a popular morning spot upon which we and my roommates took to immediately and were later referred to as the liar's club. At 8 am. every morning there is what is known as "Morning Song" and I must admit I was skeptical thinking I would possibly be stepping into a revival meeting, but nothing could be farther from the truth. These sessions included story telling and music by various residents of the area. This was one of my favorite activities of the week. I heard such great country hits as "I cried bottled water tears over you" and the all time great "Momma ain't dead she's just playin' possum!". I usually left these sessions with tears in my eyes and an aching belly from laughing so hard. On this particular morning the session was led by Jan (teh Big Kahuna) who described the history of the Folk School and sang a few songs himself. After morning song the dining hall bell was sounded, as it is for all meals, and it was off to breakfast, and from there it was off to the studio. We all jumped into our carvings with Gary making sure that everyone was off to a good start. We carved all morning until lunch and continued in the afternoon. Now when I signed up for the class the cost was around $750 which included 5 days of class, 2 three hour sessions in the studio, my bunk in the Keith House which I shared with 3 other gentlemen, and three squares a day. I was pleasantly surprised though that my instructor as well as some others also go to the studio in the evenings to allow students to continue their work if they so choose. Now the school generally has some kind of activity happening after supper, but for me this was all about carving and absorbing as much knowledge as I could from Gary. So after supper it was back to the studio for me and luck would have it it was just me and Gary which allowed me to ask questions or get assistance when I wanted. 9 p.m. came around and it was off to bed .

Day2 (Tuesday) Well off to breakfast and then on to the studio, at this point I am figuring if I work hard I might be able to walk away with two completed carvings at the end of the week. So again, I put in a full day. and was close to completing my cowboy bust. As I said earlier I bought myself a new kniife, and proceeded to split the tip of my thumb, how embarassing. I lost a few minutes to this as it required some creative bandaging and then it was off to the races again. I am happy to report that this was the only catastrophy of the week. I again carved well into the evening but also spent part of the day enjoying the porch on our studio as well as some visits to the other studios to see what other students were working on. I left the day with the cowboy bust nearing completion (just a few shadow cuts and cleanup to do).

Day3 (Wednesday)

I completed carving my cowboy bust in the morning and it was on to my next project, for this I selected a mountain man blank. Understanding that I would have to go to paint on these carvings first thing Friday morning I put in another full day but was delayed due to a dull knife that had to be stoned.
I went to bed ridden hard and put away wet!!!

Day4 (Thursday)

Well it's my day of reckoning I need to get the second carving done today . I must note that the only one applying the pressure is myself as I would have easily completed just the one project in ample amount of time but I was here to carve and wanted to do as much as I could to fulfill my personal goals. Needless to say I did not leave the studio, I carved from 9.a.m until 2 a.m. the next morning. Went back to the bunkhouse and proceeded to get a few hours sleep.

Day5 (Friday)

A few touchups and carving of the eyes and I was ready to go to paint. I enjoy the finishing since it's like Frankenstein bringing his monster to life. I completed my painting by early afternoon and spent the afternoon antiqueing the my carvings while helping with the studio cleanup. The carvings turned out beautiful, and it was time to bring them to the community room for display. The display is designed for the students to display their work. Needless to say I was looking for the chocolate folks (Yummy!!). It was amazing to see all the art work produced in a week!!! After dinner it was off to the concert. The week I attended was the dulcimer celebration so we were treated to a concert by professionals who had been teaching all week. The concerts are also there for the local population to enjoy free of charge and the house was packed.

Day6 (Saturday)
Well todays the day I wish I had won the lottery cause I wanted it to do all over again!!! It was bbreakfast and then back to NY and the human rat race.


Summary:
Overall, I would have to say I have had only a few vacations that can compare to the one I experienced. The atmosphere, people, and accomodations exceeded or met my expectations. As far as the instructor goes, I would take a class from Gary Falin in a heartbeat!! There is just too much knowledge he has to share and he is a willing and able instructor. The local area around the school was great little did I know that Clay's Corner was the opossum capiol of the world, see ya learn something new every day. So I would rate my experience as follows:

Cost: A+ (bed, meals, coffee, class for 7 days - $750)

Location: A- (not necessarily easy to get to, but away from the madenning crowd)

Meals: B (I'm a picky eater so maybe it's just me, but it surely beats cafeteria food)

Staff: A (The schools staff was helpful in all ways)

Instructor: A+++ (If you like carving his class is worth your time!)

Facilities: B (Expect rustic but all was in working order and the water was fit to drink)

Studio: A+ (air conditioned with a nice porch, studio included separately ventilated finishing room so as to to stink up the joint when applying the antique mixture.)

Cost of Supplies: A+ (I spent $85 for 3 roughouts, a blank, a new detail knife, and some aluminum oxide...can't shake a stick at that deal!!)

Accomodations: A (I was bunking with 3 other gentlemen and was supplied with our towels and linens (You have to make your own bed) but there were no surprises here, the room was air conditioned to a comfortable level for all).

The short answer to the question "would I go again?" is an emphatic YES.
I'll post pictures when I get a chance.

Well, that's my two cents...

[Mitchell]

Thanks for the information Tony. Look forward to the pics.

[Anthony Filetti]

I asked Gary how Tom was doing and I guess he is doing great. I know you mentioned that the two of them are giving a class, are you going?


I have Phil & Viki for a three day-er next week. I'm looking forward to meeting them!

[mikeg]

That sounds like a heck of a vacation! And the price doesn't sound too bad either since it's all inclusive. I'd say that you'd have to compare the cost to that of a cruise.

Just one question, where the heck are the pictures??

mikeg

[squbrigg]

Tony....it sounds like you had one heck of a time, congratulations. Now you're all rev'ed up to do some serious carving! It sounds like a great way to spend a week....learn, relax and kick back! I trust we shall be seeing some pictures.

Bob

[Mitchell]

Rob (Admin) posted one of the pictures that I could not a couple of weeks ago.....it is one of Gary's examples that he uses in his classes. I believe it's titled "Caricature test". (He also helped me figure out what was wrong, so I should be able to post more tonight.)

Tony, I will not be taking the class at Tom's place this month. I will be there on the weekend. My wife will be helping during the week. For those not aware, Gary and Tom Wolfe have a joint class August 17-21. The cost is $375 + roughouts. I can put you in contact with Tom (actually Nancy - his wife) if you may have questions.

[Ashbys]

I went back and reread the WCI article on this. Sounds like a great place to spend a week. Things dreams are made of.

Ash

[Anthony Filetti]

I've posted some rough pictures in the Carver Galleries of the two carvings I created. Please forgive the graininess as I need a new digital camera.

I really got my moneys worth out of the trip.

[Thor]

The two pieces you completed are very impressive! I enjoy seeing that style of charactor image; makes me smile. Two pieces completed in 7 days! Wow. Your descritpion of the entire week was fun to read as well.
Thanks for posting this. Makes me wish I could go there for a week. Maybe someday....
Thor

[Anthony Filetti]

Thor, if you're thinking about a vacation, this was a good value, a lot of return on value.


Two pieces was tough (especially the mountain man) but I was dedicated to the task (I had a goal), otherwise I would have taken advantage of the other activities. For which others say they had a great time, but there were others who were just as dedicated. The week was attended by folks from all walks of life (lawyers, teachers, etc.) and I would guess that the median age was around 50. Not to say there wasn't any young folk around to enjoy the week, but at times I felt like a kid and I'm 46.

By the way I spoke with BobD and he stated that an article is being published about the school, I am assuming in WCI, but do not have a timeframe for its release.