Hello All

[Walt Matzek]

Mobster Hello Everybody. Just found this Message Board. Have been carving for about 8 or 9 years. I live in Oklahoma City. I had to stop carving for 18 months due to a house fire and then the rebuild. Sure am glad to be back home. I'm also on disability so I spend a lot of each day carving and looking for carving projects.

During the rebuild, I had them put tile in my master bedroom, so I just carve in my easy chair and half watch/listen to the boob tube. I have all my carving tools in three wooden tool boxes. I have a shop in my garage, so I also do regular woodworking.

It was funny how I got started carving. I was in Yellowstone and went into a curio shop south of the park in Jackson Hole, WY. I saw a great totem pole that was hand carved and I told myself, "Why buy it, you can do that!"

I've gone to a few classes at Woodcraft. Some were good, some not so good. I would like to take off for a week and go to a really good school. Anybody that can recommend one, it would be greatly appreciated.

I do a little of everything. If I had to claim a style, I guess it would be caricatures. I'm not into birds at all. Don't know why, but they just don't interest me carving them.

I'll post some picture in the very near future. Again Hello to All. Looking forward to communicating with everyone.

[Paul_Guraedy]

Walt, welcome to the WCI Forum. You will find a lot of woodcarvers, lots of good carving, lots of assistance, and a generally fun group.

I enjoyed your comment on the way you got into woodcarving. It reminded me of a sign I saw at a craft fair in Indiana, many years ago, "Sure you could, but would you?" It seems your answer was "Yes!".

[Irishman]

Hi there Walt,

Welcome to the site. Share your carvings with us when your ready.
Patrick

[Al_Hillis]

Hey there Walt , welcome to the site. There is all kinds of help available on this site. just ask and some great carvers will be more then happy to help you out. check out Lynn O Doughty's threads on here . he lives near you and might be of help to you

[Lynn O. Doughty]

Welcome Walt. We live up here just south of Grove. Like Al was kind enough to mention, check out my blog and you'll find all kinds of useful tips, at least I hope their useful.

[Bartster]

hello walt glad you have found us, there are alot of schools around, there is the john c campbell folk school in brasstown,nc if you want to travel, also phil and vicki bishop live in elk city, and have a carving class once or twice a year around elk city that would be a great class for a caricature carver, you can check them out on theire website just do a search and you will find them vicki posts on here quite often as well anyways post some pics when you get a chance,

bart

[snickerbocker]

Walt,
Welcome to the board and yes we do two classes a year out here in Elk City. I have been to Lynn's blog and it is very good, lots of info.

[Walt Matzek]

Hi Vicki,

I'm a fan of your work. I am in the process of trying one of your husbands patterns I found on WCI. Would like to come out and meet you both some time. When are your next classes? Do you ever do one on one teaching?

Thanks!
Walt

[snickerbocker]

Walt,
Go to our website on the class info page, there is a list of seminars (the May class is full). We haven't done any one on one but we are doing some planning to do more here at home. If you want to talk further about all of this just private message me and we can talk about it in detail.

[Donna_T]

Walt,
Welcome to our discussion board. You're not too far from here...so in addition to considering advice and assistance from Phil and Vickie (they're awesome teachers and you'll learn lots about caricatures and even animals) but if you're looking for realistic animals, consider other Okies Debbe Edwards in Miami or Rex and Vickie Branson up closer to where Lynn lives. I think Debbe is the tops for learning all about carving animals. I'd also recommend you thinking about the Carving Rendezvous in Branson spring and fall and the Silver Dollar City experience in the spring. Both offer a variety of carving topics (although the SDC is wider than the Rendezvous. ) I've been to both.

You're probably not much farther from Texas workshops.

There's a good carving show in Ok City each year and it's a good place to make connections and learn of area clubs and workshops.

Donna T