The Blackhawk Woodcarver
How did I join the Blackhawk Wood Carving Club
After living and working in Rockford for a number of years I got married and
started raising a family. I
would play around with scrapes of wood that I acquired through normal home
repair projects. At age 50 I
heard about a program at Rock Valley College for people 50 or older to
continue their education into retirement CLR (Center for Learning in
Retirement). I acquired a
current class catalog and saw that there was a class on How to Wood Carve.
It took a couple of years before I signed up and took a class offered
by Gordon Moscinski .
That was a great class.
Thanks Gordy! This experience
was followed by other classes offered by Gordy, Don Stansfield, and Bob
Hallstrom and others. Here, I
was introduced to the existence of the Blackhawk Wood Carvers Club.
After I retired in 2009, I joined the club.
Its been only eight years, eight fun filled - educational years.
I’m very surprised by the number of carvings I have finished and some
of which I have placed around the home.
Which brings us to today, and as a reminder – I would like to have our club
members start bringing in along with regular SHOW and TELL items, some of
your carvings that you have treasured from the past.
We all have carvings packed away or setting on a shelf that no one
has seen for years except our spouses.
I will have an extra table set up so we can show our favorites on the
Wednesdays that we have our meetings!
So---- Let the chip fly and see
you at the club!
Jerome Mais
Blackhawk Carving Club
P. O. Box 8285 Rockford, IL 61126
Open Carving every Wednesday (8:30-11am).
Ken Rock Community Center (Sacred Heart Academy, Multi-purpose room)
3218 Eleventh St, Rockford, IL 61109
Business Meeting; third Wednesday. of the month. Friends and spouses of
carvers are especially welcome to come to meet and visit. Carvers bring in
finished carvings for “Show & Tell.”
Why do people run over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner,
then reach down, pick it up, examine it and then put it down to give the
vacuum one more chance?
Club Activity Schedule
June 7
open carving
June 14
annual picnic (see article
below)
June 21
open carving and meeting
June 28
open carving
July 5
open carving
July 12
open carving
July 19
open carving and meeting
July 26
open carving
August 2
open carving
August 9
open carving
August 16
open carving and meeting
August 23
open carving
August 30
open carving
September 6
open carving
September13
open carving
September 20
open carving and meeting
September 27
open carving
October 4
open carving
October 11
open carving
October 18
open carving and meeting
October 25
open carving
Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we
supposed to do, write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures
on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver
the mail?
The Blackhawk Woodcarvers annual picnic
The picnic will be held on Wednesday, 14 June 2017, from 3:00pm until dusk
at Baum Park in Cherry Valley, IL. We will be at the pavilion by the
tennis courts. No grills will be provided other than the ones at the
pavilion, if anyone wants to use them please contact Tony DaVita and he will
provide charcoal and starter. The club will provide soft drinks and water..
submitted by; Gary Lundquist
Musky Area Wood Carvers Workshop
August 15-18, 2017 in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin. Teachers include: Wes Spadgenske, Dan Haack, Bob Harris, Echo Keller, Sophie Kubisiak, David Kublank, Gordy Moscinski, Denny Neubauer, Elaine & Fred Stenman, Greg Wirtz, James Thalacker, Dorthy Huse and Lee Belanger. For the full layout go to muskyareawoodcarvers.com
The Woodcraft Shop, Bettendorf, Iowa
Josh Guge,
realistic bird carving and painting.
Friday to Monday: September 15, 16, 17 and 18, 2017 –
$270.00 + a $20.00 material fee.
For more information call toll-free 800-397-2278 or go to
www.thewoodcraftshop.com
Rock River Valley Show
The Rock River Valley show in Janesville.
Applications for a table are available.
The show will be Saturday September 9 from 10-4.
See Jerome Mais for applications.
Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off
the table you always manage to knock something else over?
How do those dead bugs get into the enclosed light fixtures?
June Birthdays
(that we know
about)
2 Dave Meyer
10 Gary Johnson
Blackhawk Carving Club Minutes May 2017
Minutes of the regular monthly business of Blackhawk
Woodcarvers; held on May 17, 2017 at 3218 Eleventh Street, Rockford,
Illinois.
The meeting was closed at 9:53.
Respectfully Submitted,
Steve Terrill,
Secretary
Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?
Club
Officers
(815 area code)
President - Jerome Mais, 398-7904
Vice Pres. -
Secretary -
Steve Terrill, 708-0471
Photographer - Larry Clark, 262-9982
Membership - Chuck Drewes,
985-8575
Newsletter Publisher, Gary Johnson 399-1697
Historian - Elaine Terrell 765-2886
Programs - Bob Matthews 544-2359 &
Denny Neubauer 515-508-9524
Picnic -
Soap Carving –Gary Lundquis
Why is it that, no matter what color bubble bath you use, the bubbles are
always white?
Tyrone Johnsen, Vice President
I am relatively new to the Club and wood carving. I
joined Blackhawk Woodcarvers late last Fall while enrolled in a beginners
woodcarving class taught by Don Stansfield. I attended the class with my
long time friend Larry Stenzel who I knew had been an active Club member. I
have over the years attended some of the Club shows and have previously
known some of the other members. I like arts and crafts and have always
enjoyed seeing the creativity and craftsmanship of others.
My wife and I moved to Rockford when I started a job as
an engineer at Sundstrand. I worked there for over 30 years and my wife
recently retired from teaching in the Rockford schools. We have two adult
children which still live in the Rockford area. I have many other interests
and still very involved in model railroading and skiing.
My first remembrance of woodcarving was probably about
the time I was in Boy Scouts and carved a sailboat with my jack knife out of
a piece of some branch. I later remember carving a face which I gave to my
father. I was happy with both pieces. I never thought about it but I did
carve a six plus foot totem pole for my son and his Y Indian Guides tribe. I
was inspired by our visit to Expo 86 in Vancouver, BC. I “carved” it using a
circular saw and and standard (cheap) chisel and hammer. It still stands in
the garden; well weathered. Then I carved a dog with my jack knife during a
ski trip out of a piece of wood my friend Dave Donahue had brought along for
me.
Finally, last Fall I decided to enroll in the carving
class at RVC Learning in Retirement Center which was taught by Don
Stansfield. I had never used a true carving knife. I really enjoyed it and
decided to join the Club. I have since had the opportunity to make my own
knife with Denny Neubauer and experience carving miniatures in a class by
him. My latest experience was the panel carving class by Roger Benedict. His
first class reminded me of how little I knew. Immediately I discovered I did
not have any of the necessary carving equipment but never knew they existed.
Fortunately, Roger immediately allowed me to use some of his. Bob Hallstrom
was also kind enough to allow me to experience some of his tools and lend
some guidance.
Although I am new to the Club and do not know all of you
yet, I have enjoyed learning and seeing the variety of carving done by each
of the members.
Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that
something new to eat will have materialized?
Why, in winter, do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when
we complained about the heat?
Passed Treasured Carvings
Again, as a
reminder, I would like to have our club members start bringing in along with
regular SHOW and TELL items, some of your carvings that you have treasured
from the past. We all have
carvings packed away or setting on a shelf that no one has seen for years
except our spouses. I will have
an extra table set up so we can show our favorites on the Wednesdays that we
have our meetings!
Jerome Mais
Deadline for the news for the next newsletter is July 5, 2017.
Door Prizes
Don't forget the Door Prize drawing
on First Wednesdays. Bring something you don't need or want anymore, but
know someone would be thrilled to win at the drawing.
Show and Tell pictures by Larry Clark and comments by
Steve Terrill
Larry Clark brought in
an old prize winning carving of a Rose in a Heart made out of Butternut.
He included a card saying; “If a Rose is a symbol of Love, let me
open my heart and give this one to you”.
Nice Job Larry.
Tony DaVita showed a
Monk with a Cross and a Dove from 1969 that he carved.
He was not even sure how he carved it without a bandsaw or anything.
Good Job Tony.
Bob Matthews showed a
pair of Blue Tits that he carved this past winter (Asian birds) out of
basswood. He also carved and
painted an Eastern Bluebird and a Northern Flicker.
He also carved a Fantasy house of Cottonwood Bark each house with a
tree branch supporting it.
Great work, Bob
Chuck Drewes showed a
shawl pin in a butterfly shape out of Zebra wood.
Nicely done.
Elaine Terrell showed
a Santa Carved Christmas Plate with chip carved “Merry Christmas” out of
basswood, Well done Elaine.
Larry Stenzel brought
in an old carving from 1998. It
was an Eastern Chain Pickerel carved from Cedar.
He would like to repaint it now.
Bernie Budzinski
showed two of the four plaques he carved for his 4 grandchildren graduating
this year. They were burned
carved and painted with motivational messages out of tree cross sections.
Richard Dunphey left the bark on several basswood branches from a fallen tree. On one he carved a boy’s feet sticking out of a hollow log and on the other end a skunk half inside the log. He had two more logs, one with a boy with binoculars on top and the other a boy playing hide and seek behind a tree. Well done Richard
Tod Wisner showed 4
variations of Brother Anthony that Tony is so famous for carving.
He gives them away to friends and relatives who seem to need them.
He also carved a modern art piece which he calls, “Spoon”.
Go Tod
No Picture
Tyrone showed the
relief carving of plums and leaves that he turned in to a plaque for Carol
Burmeister who is retiring from heading up Vegetarians in Motion (VIM) for
the past 30 years. He had
members sign on the back which he will seal and present to her. Nice idea,
Tyrone.
