Wooden blocks were available with instructions to carve either a Santa ornament or a Watchdog. These are for the August show's sale.

Cub Scouts Den 464 at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church were treated with soap carving instructions by Tony DeVita, and Roger Benedict assisting.

Dolores Cascio read a thank you card from Dave Hoffman's wife thanking us for the flowers at Dave's funeral. Lloyd Dourest gave a short elegy about how he knew Dave Hoffman.

Ozzie Web presented his technique of dremel carving. He had several dremels and multi number of carving bits. His carving demonstration was on a wooden rolling pin. The hit of the evening was his attempt to teach Jayne Pheiffer the art of carving with a dremel…it was a hoot, and give her credit for being such a good sport.

John Bibby-----Chipped carved hexagon jewelry box, and a chip carved plaque from Kauri wood from New Zealand.

Tony DeVita----Showed a bookshelf resembling bi-plane wings, the carved portion was the propeller.

Richard Andersen----Rooster about 12-inches high with a Tyrolean painted style; another rooster is being carved for friends. A butterfly for his wife's poinsettia plant.

Wes Englund----Turned birch bowl with a carving in the bottom of the curved portion. And two Christmas ornaments.

Don Stansfield----Pins for his wife and Daughter.

Marshall Field----Two swans (cedar and mahogany), musical symbol and crown of thrones both from mahogany.

Gordon Moscinski----two pendants of original designs that were initially developed from molding clay

Tod Wisner----Photos of his carved chess king and a small rabbit on ice-skates.

The classic period of Greek and Roman art of antiquity may seem to have a lack of appreciation in today's whirlwind of life styles. Looking at art from the Renaissance, we may note that the great old masters' had something in common with the classic period. What was it about Donatello, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, Cellini, Bernini, (besides being Italian), Rodin, Taft, etc. that had one thing in common? Heaven forbid, their art included nudity. And today we laugh.

Keep your tools sharp

March 21^st---Guest speaker John Susin on his carved Santas from an article in Chip Chats magazine

April 18^th---Guest speaker Guy Fiorenza on his collection of Joe Tagart's circus wagon miniature carvings and with a video of a miniature circus big top.

May 16^th---Guest speaker Bob Matthews on his carved and painted birds with demos and discussion.

June 20^th----to be rescheduled and now open

July 18^th----to be rescheduled and now open

John Susin will speak about his Santas depicted in the Chip Chats Magazine, November-December 2005 edition. This article presented John's background as a carver and showed his excellent carved Santas. There are additional photos on the front and back covers of the magazine. John resides in Lombard, IL and has been retired since 1991. He began to carve in 1994 from an interest in a local carving group. He has taken only two carving classes, yet has developed his skills through self taught ideas to achieve his desired results. Over the years he has developed a personal technique of combining features from caricature and realistic forms. Carving came easy as he enjoys working with wood along with the pleasant smell of wood and its lightweight. John has shown his carvings and competed in several of our past Carving Shows at Kenrock.

Some excerpts from a book, The Art and Craft of Woodcarving

"In carving you are free to adopt any style you choose, but this very freedom can pose a problem when you are wondering where to begin and how to find your own means of expression. Unlike the carvers of the past, people today are constantly bombarded with images and visual influences from the media, and other carvers and cultures. It is important to look at the work of accomplished artists and craftsmen and women, and try to understand their aspirations. However bewildering as it may be, we should let the achievements of others enlarge our vision rather than trying to imitate them." Woodcarving's personal expressions, due to any format of learning, will always provide a great satisfaction for us woodcarvers.