Tales from War Eagle

[mpounders]

Warning: objects and people may be larger than they appear. The War Eagle carving seminars got off to another good start this year. Gas prices may have discoraged some, but a large number came from Tennesee, Kentucky, Texas, Louisiana, Illinois, and Oklahoma to the shores of Beaver Lake in northwest Arkansas. The weather is perfect for thi outdoor event and I will try to post a few pictures of progress during the week.

The first is the class of Adina Huckins, instructing in realistic busts, dolls of various sizes, and other assorted figures and animals. Next is the always fashionable Adair Rucker teaching Santa carving. His wife Patty does the wood burning and scrimshaw class. Steve Brown (who organizes this wonderful event) is teaching caricatures and has a variety of tools, roughouts, and books also available if you have a little extra money. Dale Boyer is doing the class on cane carving and you may recognize Paul Guready making the chips fly! i'll try and post more later, but I need to eat and rest up for the carving contests tonight. Dale Boyer is also doing a mini-class tonight on some beautiful chip-carved golf balls! More to come!

[mpounders]

Here are some more pictures from day 1. Steve Oliver is teaching the class on portraits in relief. The rest are from Jim Wilsford's power carving class. They are doing a bull moose, complete with habitat. Most will be carving some at night to get a lot finished in his class, but you find a lot of other carvers working on different things and enjoying the fellowship afterhours. The other photos show some of Jim's wonderful widlife carvings. My problem has always been deciding which class to try....so many to choose from! More to come later!

[idigjars]

Nice pictures Mike. Looks like lots of fun. I'm giving your post a bump for others to see. Thank you for sharing with us. Paul

[squbrigg]

Great pictures Mike, Paul certainly does look like he's enjoying himself. Say hello to the big guy from me would you, and tell him to practice..... he'll make a fine carver, when he grows up!

Glad everyone is enjoying themselves, wish I was there.

Bob

[mpounders]

Here's some photos from day 2. I can't remember if the first two guys were making funny faces or carving Santas...could be both. Adina Huckins providing some instructions. Her dolls range from less than an inch to one that is 48" tall!. Part of her class is working on a life-size baby doll! Here is a relief portrait from Steve Oliver's clas.

[mpounders]

And here is some work from Patty Rucker's pyrgraphy and scrimshaw class. Patty is also an accomplished painter and teachs paninting Santas as part of her husband's carving class. The plate is an example of her work.

It was beautiful and cool again today with brief rain showers keeping the temperatures nice. I won a mallet in the daily raffle and got a couple of larger gouges from a guy who was in my class last year. I spent a few hours in the evening getting some lessons and practice on reshaping and sharpening some of my gouges. And visiting! (Paul said to tell Bob hello...he is suffering Internet withdrawals!)

[squbrigg]

Damm..... it looks like you folks are having a grand old time and learning lots of new skills! I would imagine Paul is keeping you all entertained too, damm, that man should write a book, he's quite a story teller!

Thanks for sharing the photos Mike. All the best to all.

Bob

[BrandantR]

Looks like you're having the time of your lives out there. Hope you enjoy every minute of it.

[steve brown]

Mike, thanks for sharing all the pictures. I sure had a great time again this year. Hope you hear from some of the other carvers there.
Steve Brown Woodcarving

[carvingbarn]

Yes, thanks for sharing you pictures. It looks like you had a great time.