Blackhawk Carving Club
Rockford, Illinois 61109
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The Blackhawk Woodcarver

Volume XXVIII, Issue 3     March 2023

Blackhawk Carving Club

We meet every Wednesday at 9:00 am until 12:00 noon at the Ken Rock facility at 625 Adams Street, Rockford, IL.  KenRock is located in the area of Rural and North 2nd St.

Presidents Report  March 2023

Why do you carve? For some carvers, it's the finished product, while for others, it's the process, or journey. A well-done project is always rewarding, but more so with remembering the challenges and how you mastered them. 

Please carve an Irish-related item for our March Show and Tell. Clip Art on Google is a good source for patterns and inspiration. 

We often think of the Celtic Knot. Did you know that centuries-old Buddhist symbols includes an Endless Knot? 

Former member Gary Curl recently died. Gary was one of our past presidents, humorist retired minister and prison guard. He was always trying something new. Many of us will cherish having him as a friend.   

Don Stansfield

 

CLR Beginning/Intermediate Class

CLR, the Center for Learning in Retirement.  It will be a beginning/Intermediate class.  It will be taught by Gordy Moscinski for the beginner portion and Denny Neubauer for the intermediates.  The class will be held at 9:00 am until 12:00 noon at the Ken Rock facility at 625 Adams Street, Rockford, IL. Ken Rock is located in the area of Rural and North 2nd St. The dates are March 8, 15, 22, and 29.

 Knives and wood blanks will be furnished. If you have any questions call Gordy at 815.558.1938 or Denny at 815.238.5296.

 

Secretary report for February 2023

Minutes of the regular monthly business meeting of Blackhawk Woodcarvers; held on, February 15, 2023 at Ken Rock Community Center, 625 Adams Street, Rockford, Illinois 61107.

President Don Stansfield opened the meeting at 9:32

Don wanted to thank all of those who carved hearts for Valentine’s Day.  There are a bunch of really neat ones, some chip carvings, caricatures, abstracts and wood burnings from Larry

For March Don’s challenge is to carve anything Irish, Leprechauns, shamrocks, Celtic knots, shillelaghs.

If you go to your computer and type in clipart/Celtic knot you will get a lot of patterns and they are free.  Some of the free ones you can copy directly while others want you to join something to get the free clipart. He thought about dying his hair orange for St. Pat’s but he did not want to look like the people with orange hair. 

 Don reminds us that next month is the CLR class here and that if interested you have to sign up with CLR, the Center for Learning in Retirement.  It will be a beginning/Intermediate class.  It will be taught by Gordy Moscinski for the beginner portion and Denny Neubauer for the intermediates.  Also the Wood Congress will be in June and they have some really great classes scheduled; one day classes, two day classes, three day classes and 5 day classes with some of the best instructors in the United States.  Their show is open Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and it is well worth the trip.

A correction to last month’s Jane Pfeiffer’s story for her 102nd birthday; that she started carving when she was about 90 years old, not 9. 

That is all that Don has for notes. 

There was no old business and no new business.  Gordy reminds those who do not have band saws that we have a whole bunch of blanks cut out for various carving opportunities in the club storage cabinet.

Larry Stenzel reminds us that we are still very solvent. 

That ends the business part of the meeting. 

Respectfully submitted; Steve Terrill, Club Secretary.

 

Blackhawk Carving Club Website

The Blackhawk Carving website is blackhawkcarving.com  It has the newsletters from the beginning of the club plus other good information.

 

Accepting dues for 2023

We are accepting dues for 2023.  Larry will try to be at each meeting, although things do come up.  If people want, they can send dues to Larry Stenzel’s home address: 7689 North Gate Road, Roscoe, IL 61073.  $25, Cash or check.  He will get them a receipt.

Larry Stenzel

 

Newsletter deadline

Keep sending your pictures and stories by the April 5, 2023 deadline.

 

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.

Carvers wanted

Sometimes I get calls from people wanting to have a carving done (for money).  If you are interested in any of these contacts, let me know and what kind of carvings you are interested in doing for people.  Don Stansfield dchip1508@comcast.net   

 

Want to buy or sell

If you have anything that you would like to buy or sell send me an email and I will put it in the newsletter.   Gordy

Facebook

Like us on Facebook “Blackhawk Woodcarvers”.  Many pictures and information.

 

April Birthdays (that we Know of)

10 Franklin Johnson
19 John Skaggs
21 Bunny Nordheim

Club Officers   (815 aera code)

President,  Don Stansfield, 235-0075
Vice Pres,  Richard Dunphey, 633-9003
Treasurer,  Larry Stenzel, 389-4714
Secretary,  Steve Terrill, 708-0471

 

Committees       (815 aera code)

Programs, Richard Dunphey, 633-9003
Webmaster & Newsletter Editor Gordy Moscinski  874-7978
Photographer  Steve Terrill
Picnic   Tony Devita

Snow Daze Carve In  APRIL 28-30, 2023 Sponsored by Central Minnesota Woodcarvers Association of St. Cloud, MN. Loyal Order of Moose Lodge 1300 3rd St. N., Waite Park, MN 56387

A - PYROGRAPHY - Brenda Lodermeier. Brenda has been carving & working with pyrography for the past 12 years. She is an active member of the Central MN Woodcarvers Association and on the Board of Directors for the Rio Grande Woodcarving Show in Mission Texas. If you are a beginner or advanced pyrography student, this is the class for you. Let’s learn or renew the basics and work with different techniques, emphasizing your style and completing projects on a variety of wood species. Instructor will discuss preparation of wood, patterns, and use of burners including variety of tips and cleaning. Students are encouraged to bring additional lighting, graphite paper and their burning units. Many patterns and design available. Student may start with a barn project or bring one of their own. I have many patterns to choose from. Brenda is an authorized Colwood Dealer with burners, tips, wood and supplies for purchase. Cost: $50.00 Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced Class size: 10-12

B - RELIEF, WOODBURNING & PAINTING - Fred and Elaine Stenman Students will learn the techniques developed by Elaine and Fred, which combine low relief carving with details that are wood burned. The carvings are painted with very thin acrylics and stained with oil paint. Tool techniques for full sized gouges and wood burning tools along with elements of design will be taught. Students may select from three of the Stenmans’ original designs: 1. A building and fence post are carved. Details woodburned. Background will change to due to limited time. 2. A rainbow trout jumping. The fish is carved. 3. A common loon swimming (carved). Woodburned grasses. The projects will be executed in basswood with the bark remaining on the edge to create a natural frame. The paints and brushes are provided. We encourage students who are new to the class to do our low red barn or cabin relief as they are a great learning experience.
If you have any questions, you can phone us: (651) 485-0580. You can also email us at: fhstenman@gmail.com Students new to our style of carving, should practice woodburning details on a 6” X 9” printed board during the class. Cost: $30 Materials: 12 1/2” rounded board (with design): $18.00 6” X 9” printed practice board (optional): $8.00 Skill level: Beginner to Advanced Class size: 10

CONTACT WAYNE NICOLOFF AT 612-750-8716 IF YOU HAVE ANY ?’S.

 

Gary Curl

Former member Gary Curl recently died. He was a former President of our Club. Services will be held April 1 at the United Methodist Church in Sycamore.  Visitation at 10 am. Service at 11.

United Methodist Church

160 Johnson Ave

Sycamore, IL

 

Ken Rock Closes When Rockford Schools Close

Ken Rock will be closed if the Rockford Public schools close due to inclement weather.

 

Show and Tell

raven

raven

Bob Matthews carved a raven

viking

Dick Dunphey showed two caricature carvings, one of a man leaning against a log and a second of a Viking holding a shield and spear which is the mascot of Augustana where his granddaughters attend college.

 wizard

old man

This is one I got done.

Bob Coleman

 bee

Rich Talbot brought in a colorized wood burning of a bumble bee for a friend’s daughter; and a red heart pierced by an arrow larger than the hole in the heart.  It was challenging to get the arrow through without breaking it. 

 snowmen

Carol Benning brought in a stand with three snowmen dangling with different color hats and scarves.  She also completed and painted the wizard which had been a class project. 

 hearts

Jim Foster brought in some doodles, an elephant holding a heart, a read heart pierced by an arrow, a squirrel holding a candy heart with “Be Mine” like a candy heart, a gnome holding a large red heart, and a pin with two hearts and an arrow through them. 

 caricatures

Denny Neubauer showed 3 caricature carvings which will be samples for his upcoming class.  One a Viking with a shield, a second a gnome with a tall wizard hat, and a third, a small multicolored toucan.

 heart

Larry Stenzel brought in a basswood board in a mini holder which had a cutout of a heart surrounded by chip carved filigree and the word Bella, his grandchild. 

 cross

Another chip carved cross. John Skaggs

 heart

Bob Hallstrom brought in a chip carving of a practice board for a box with a squared off heart as a central theme.

 carvings

Tony DaVita brought in older carvings of a bird house, with a face of a wood spirit, a Cyprus knee with an old man with a white beard and a carving of a caricature with a Golf ball in a cage below.  He had a story about his attempts at putting the golf ball in the cage. 

 barn

church

house

bird

"Lino-cuts made by Roger Benedict during his three Print Making classes at Rockford University a few years ago.  Generally wood is used but at the classes special linoleum material was used.  The prints were made from these lino-cuts."

 hearts

hearts

heart

Gordy Moscinski showed two hearts intertwined, and 4 other hearts, one with a landscape painting, two of walnut, one of two figures dancing on it, and a necklace on a leather strap of walnut with a twist in the heart. 

 

 

 

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