Newsletter Archive 2020
News Fall 2020
November 24th
Happy Thanksgiving week, Carvers!
16 of us joined in on Google MEET today. We were happy see some long absent folks on the screen as well as our most regular attendees.
CCW BUSINESS:
President Scot Lang reminded us that there are only 2 weeks left before our December 8 virtual holiday gathering/election of officers and ornament exchange. SO…… for those of you wanting to exchange ornaments, the time is now to put knives to the wood and get them carved out!
So far, only 12 CCW members have voted for our 2021 officers. At it stands, re-election of the current officers is unanimous, with 2 weeks to go before elections. If you would like to nominate another member for the position of President, Treasurer or Secretary, the time is now. Please vote by emailing me: a “Yes” indicates your agreement to continue with the current officers, or you may submit your vote by specifically naming a potential officer. (current officers: President, Scot Lang, Treasurer, Tom Nickelson, and Secretary, Laurie Wright) All votes must be submitted by 9 a.m. December 8.
The Central Coast Woodcarvers have an official post office box! Charlie Roberts and Laurie Wright will regularly check the box and deliver correspondence to the appropriate carver(s). You may send pertinent CCW correspondence/checks/bills to:
Central Coast Woodcarvers P.O. Box 743 Morro Bay, California 93443
CCW ANNUAL DUES: Your $10 2021 dues are ready to be accepted via our mailbox (above). Please write “Central Coast Woodcarvers” on the “Pay to” line and “2021 dues” on “For” line . Optimally, we’d like to start the new year with as many dues paid for 2021 as possible. Thank you!
In discussion today it was surmised that , due to COVID, it would be highly optimistic to hope that we could again meet as a group in 6 months. 9 months might even be overly optimistic. Though not ideal, we are thankful that we have technology to enable us to keep in touch, which will have to suffice for the time being.
Two carvers from other chapters who have been joining in on our MEET sessions have requested membership in the CCW. We are glad to welcome Gary Hensley (CCG President and Channel Islands Carvers President) and William “Al” Plasch (Channel Island Carvers Vice President) as they prepare to also become members of the Central Coast Woodcarvers!
WHAT’s NEW WITH OUR CARVERS:
Scot Lang has been working on his caged bird ornament for the annual exchange. (photo) It just needs a little fine carving, some pyrography and some paint to be ready for its happy recipient. Scot mentioned that he really enjoys using his power chisel as it makes little dust, but acknowledges that it is quite loud. Gary Hensley used a power chisel, along with 12 other carvers, for an Oakhurst class. It was a “hand saving tool, for sure.”
Tom Nickelson finished his very heavy, hardwood (possibly Ironwood) turtle. It was finished with 1 coat of Watco and one coat of Howard’s finishing wax/oil. (Howard’s is a product of Paso Robles). Tom used power tools to carve the tortoise, wearing an N95 mask. The Nickelson home will soon be decorated with Tricia’s collection of 40-50 nutcrackers. Fun Fact: Tom began carving in 2005, carving a serval cat and a zebra for a carousel in Oregon.
Dick Marshall has been working on carving a pygmy owl (photo). He power carved earrings from some Buckeye burl(photo). The Buckeye Dick used came from the Sierras: Scot Lang reported that Buckeye is common throughout San Luis Obispo county as well. Buckeye wood, branches, pods, leaves and dust are quite toxic, so great care must be taken when handling any part of the tree. Historically, Native Americans would collect and treat the pods for eating if the acorn crop was scant, said Scot. Tom and Laurie Wright have a number of dried pods available if anyone is interested in having them. Dick shared some Buckeye with Tom Nickelson, who may carve an otter head out of it.
Melody Mullis finished her penguin ornament for the exchange (photo)
Jim Cady is working on a Santa head (photo)
Tom Bundy showed us his rodeo bucking bull. (photo) It is approximately 20” tall and was carved from a grapevine. He also carved a Native American bust draped in wolf hide out of a grapevine. (photo). It stands approximately 16-18” tall. Tom sliced the sides of the grapevines with a chainsaw, drew the pattern out and began hand carving each piece.
Kristen Bachman showed us her carved leprechaun. (photo)
Charlie and Jeanie Roberts collaborated on a fine piece made with a frame carved and woodburned by Charlie, and a woodburned locomotive by Jeanie, which will go to her brother in England. He volunteers for the British Railway Museum in Devonshire.
Laurie Wright’s involvement with wood consisted of making a display of their chicken’s names. Many neighbors walk by and comment of the hens that they see on the other side of the fence. Now they’ll be able to greet them personally (photo)
Tom Wright has been making some furniture pieces for his daughter’s new home.
Marsha Goss reported that it is cool, sunny and nice in the Central Valley. Duck hunting season is underway there, as it is here in a small portion of Morro Bay, noted Scot Lang.
Larry Wade taught/led/facilitated his first workshop yesterday on Max Sutter’s relief carvings which was well attended, including by 2 of our MEET attendees today. This is a 5 week workshop, 90 minutes per class/ carvers potentially completing 3 projects during this session. Al Plasch commented on how much he enjoyed participating in this “great challenge”(photo). Larry recently worked on his own sign: “Larry’s Learnshop”.
Larry Wade has included some information about an upcoming FREE demonstration by Gil Drake . Also included is information related to a book that Larry referenced today : “Gil Drake, free caricature carving demo, Wed, Dec 2nd 7:00 PM on Zoom, link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84131874232?pwd=TWVxdGRGYkpRZjNLZXV0Y1AvSHlFdz09
The 1866 book I mentioned is called A Manual of Fret Cutting and Wood Carving by Sir Thomas Seaton, KCB, a British Major General who spent much of his time in India. Interesting reading to see the carving principles haven't changed much. A downloadable edition is at https://archive.org/details/manualoffretcutt00seatiala
with many printed copies being sold.”
This week many will be focusing on edible carving: carving pies and carving turkeys. It is hoped that each of us has a bounty of blessings to be thankful for on Thursday, and everyday. Scot Lang again spoke well for all of us by saying he is “very thankful to be a part of this (CCW) group and to have you all as friends.”
Thankful for each and every one of you,
Laurie Wright, 2020 secretary
Central Coast Woodcarvers, Chapter 7 of the California Carvers Guild.
November 17th
Greetings Carvers!
16 of us attended the CCW weekly Google MEET session today.
Central Coast Woodcarvers BUSINESS:
San Luis Obispo County, like much of California, has just retreated back into the purple COVID tier, which restricts us from sponsoring a gathered event. Our upcoming ornament exchange and business meeting will be conducted virtually.
The current officers of the Central Coast Woodcarvers (President: Scot Lang, Treasurer: Tom Nickelson and Secretary: Laurie Wright) are all willing to serve again in 2021. Due to the circumstances created by COVID we are asking that all CCW members respond via email (to me ) if they agree to extend the current officers terms through 2021, or, if not, to nominate another carver for any one of the three positions. Nominees will be contacted to ask if they would be willing to serve. Please vote/email “YES” to continue with current officers, or nominate another for one or more of the positions. We will vote on the 2021 officer positions at our December 8 MEET business meeting.
For the ornament exchange: Any carver with an ornament to exchange should email Dot and Pat Rygh with a your name and a photo of the ornament by 9 a.m. December 8. (pat@theryghs.com) The drawing of numbers to determine the recipient of an ornament will take place during the MEET session beginning at 10:00 a.m. that morning. You do not have to attend the meeting to be selected for an ornament, but the Ryghs must have your name as one who has an ornament to exchange. (Walt Ross has 2 ornaments, a Santa and a snowman, to exchange and has offered 3 others as available for others who have not carved but want to participate((photo)). Those attending the MEET session with an ornament to exchange will show their ornament then.
We will soon have a Central Coast Woodcarvers post office box in Morro Bay. Charlie Roberts and Laurie Wright will have the keys to the mailbox and will be responsible for checking it on a regular basis. Scot Lang will soon coordinate the box set up with the Post Office.
We shall start collecting the 2021 dues for our chapter beginning next month. Dues are $10 per year, payable to the Central Coast Woodcarvers, and may be sent to our P.O. box address as soon as that has been assigned to us. We welcome new members at any time: we ask for a completed membership form payment of dues, and a waiver when carving at our chapter sponsored events.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
December 8, 10:00: CCW members’ business meeting, election of officers & ornament exchange
From Larry Wade: Free upcoming Gil Drake demo of him carving a caricature
Tuesday Dec 2nd 7:00 - 8:30 PM on Zoom. The link is:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84131874232?pwd=TWVxdGRGYkpRZjNLZXV0Y1AvSHlFdz09
From Larry Wade: In February: the Wild World of Wildfowl Carving .
LINKS:
From Larry Wade:Recording of Gil Drake tour of Drake Knives and the process he uses, one hour, link is
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tOMe-8oAcneIAfE_Yx3JmV27mrKirE30/view?usp=sharing
From Scot Lang: Pacific Flyway Decoy Association (pacificflyway.org)·
Please forward any links to effective virtual demonstrations, classes, workshops, presentations, resources to Larry Wade
RESOURCES:
(from Larry Wade)Final honing compound recommended by Gil Drake for final buffing is made by Rio Grande, cost about $6, product name is Fabulustre, link is
https://www.riogrande.com/product/fabulustre-cut-and-polish-compound/331015
(From Larry Wade): Cut the tip from a rubber & cloth glove, wrap it with _______ and use as a thumb guard for carving (photo taken from utube, possibly by Lynn O. Doughty)
WHAT OUR CCW CARVERS AND GUESTS HAVE BEEN UP TO:
Scot Lang: Has modeled ACE, the labradoodle out of clay (photo). He has cut the form for Ace out of wood and will soon begin carving, perhaps completing the project by Christmas, using an impact chisel. It was brought to Scot’s attention that he successfully carves much of his work using his whittling knife. Scot shared how he has made many knives out of the broken blades of scissors by filing the ends off and sharpening the blades on a 2 stage diamond stone. These are good for using in tight spaces, such as the underside of decoy feathers. Scot has a knife for almost every carving purpose, he says. Fact: Scot often used taxidermied or deceased birds preserved in his freezer as models for carving.
Melody Mullis met us today with her wolf peering over her shoulder as she worked on a Christmas ornament.
Pat Rygh woodburns a few feathers on his gyrfalcon each day and continues to shape the piece as he goes along.
Jim Cady was working on his comfort turtle, carved from basswood. The divot in the bottom of the shell will provide a perfect place for therapeutic thumb rubbing. He asked for suggestions of finishing solution. Scot Lang offered up the perfect pun: “Rubbing oil”, such as gunstock finish, with several coats applied.
Carol Dwyer has been applying Danish oil, from a year’s old can, good as new, to her bark house, careful to carve in a stop cut to keep the oil from spreading to certain areas.
Brandy McKay sold one of her gourd masks at the Morro Bay Art Center (artcentermorrobay.org, 835 Main Street). Brandy recommends that all join the Art Center as members ($30/year/single) to show pieces, volunteer, attend classes and workshops, sell pieces (MBA keeps 25%), and more. In January there will be a wildfowl display there during the Bird Festival. The gallery routinely displays wildlife pieces.
Marsha Goss has been focused on winterizing her garden.
Breck Smith has been making whistles out of a variety of woods.
Vickie Hopson is working on her female bust figure as well as a figure shown in Woodcarvers Illustrated.
Larry Wade asked that any of our CCW bird carvers contact him. He is involved with the Wildlife Show coming up in Portland, which is looking for carving panelists. Larry is also looking for mentors in bird carving.
Al Plasch showed us his spoon carvings, one with ebony used for the flower pistil. The spoons are walnut and/or butternut wood.
The days are short, the weeks pass quickly, the years fly by. Make the most of them all, as best as you can, Carvers! See you next week,
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
Central Coast Woodcarvers, Chapter 7 of the California Carvers Guild
November 10th
Hello Carvers!
17 of us joined in on today’s MEET session including Joe Peery, CCG Vice-President, from Copperopolis.
CCW BUSINESS:
Scot Lang reviewed his findings on the state and local COVID regulatory sites. He expects that we’ll remain in the restrictive RED tier at least through Thanksgiving, if not longer. Only when a county has met the requirements for 3 weeks can it move into a less restrictive tier. We cannot plan for an in-person get together either in St Timothy’s annex or in their parking lot until restrictions are reduced, so we will continue to hold our virtual get togethers via Google MEET each Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. Our meetings have been averaging about an hour in length: carvers are welcome to join in for all or any part of our session. Come and go as you are able.
For the December 8 virtual ornament exchange: If you have a carved ornament to exchange, let the Ryghs know. Dot & Pat will then assign numbers to each ornament. On the day of our virtual holiday/business meeting, they will draw numbers. The carver of the ornament will then mail/deliver/or hold on to the ornament until able to meet in person with the recipient.
Please share photos and information with me, preferably before Tuesday, for posting in the weekly newsletter. Gary Eaves, editor of the CCG Log, extracts information and photos from our newsletters to include in the Log.
A CCW Post Office box is forthcoming, pending a CCW check which will reinforce our non-profit status.
WHAT SOME OF THE CARVERS HAVE BEEN UP TO:
Scot Lang: In preparation for carving Ace, the commissioned labradoodle, Scot picked up 15lbs of clay with which to sculpt a model to follow before he begins carving. He plans to use any remaining clay to sculpt otters in various positions prior to carving those. Scot’s latest innovation is to sew 2 buttons to the back of each of his hand sewn caps, in order to loop the matching masks over. This way both the cap and masks stay in place. Scot so far has 9 matching hat/mask ensembles and has set a goal of making a set for each day of the month.
Vickie Hopson: Vickie’s been working on carving a pine cone. (photo) She recently took Janet Cordell’s female bust carving class and was looking to sharpen her gouge. This led to a discussion about tool size and sharpening techniques. Vickie is also working on butterflying actual turkeys, deboning all but the wings and drumsticks, placing stuffing atop the bird and rolling it up for a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. So in her own way, Vickie is “carving turkeys”.
Kristen Bachman has been carving elves and continuing to carve a portrait of Harry Stiles. (photos) She has been carving the sugarpine wood donated by Ernie Ball guitar company (photo), enjoying the scent of pancake syrup which comes out of the wood as she carves. Kristen has recently taking up surfing.
Melody Mullis is working on a penguin ornament. It is much too cold to be working in her shop/garage.
Marsha Goss is carving a basswood spoon (photo)
Jim Cady was intently working on his “comfort turtle” as we met today.
Breck Smith showed us the wooden mouse he’s made, using a piece of a spindle for the nose. Breck also explained that he ordered an engraving tool (“General” brand), with a diamond ball tip from Amazon for approximately $20. He can interchangeably use his dremel tips on it. It takes one AAA battery and is good for indoor use as it creates little sawdust. Carol Dwyer reported that Miner’s Ace store did/ may carry engraving tools. Scot Lang found them at a Joann’s Crafts store.
Carol Dwyer showed us her cottonwood bark carving of a house, with porch.
Pat Rygh came in from his morning ride to display his gyrfalcon (photo)
Tom Nickelson is carving a desert tortoise from a piece of hardwood which the carvers identified as ironwood. Tom wears an N95 mask while carving, with adequate air flow and suction in the room.
Dot Rygh is pleased with the coasters she’s been decorating with pyrography. The coasters, made from wood donated from Ernie Ball guitarists, are a dark hardwood. Dot is burning in nautical themes, will pad the back of the coasters with cork, and gift them to her son.
Joe Peery gave us a tour of his workshop/garage. He recently carved a cottonwood bark lighthouse and inserted stained glass windows created by his wife, Kathy. He is working on a project for the next Oakhurst Rendezvous: relief carving the inside of a gold ball. (photo)
Al Plasch recently sharpened two rolls of tools, one set his and the other belonging to the Channel Islands Carvers. “A sharp tool is really a delight,” says Al. He gave us some sharpening tips and showed us the paddle strop he uses for sharpening, especially good for hook knives and more. Scot Lang mentioned that hook knives and V gouges are most challenging to sharpen. Kristen Bachman uses a magnifying glass while sharpening her small tools, including a 1 mm veiner, on a diamond stone and strop. Larry Wade commented on Max Sutter’s sharpening methods (see attached)
Larry Wade reminded us of the Gil Drake presentation scheduled for tonight (Tuesday, Nov 10). Larry will be presenting a beginners workshop on donut relied carving, the pattern(s) taken from an ancient Witham shield. (photos) Contact Larry for class details. Larry answered a question about the Guild of Oregon Woodworkers classes and tool rental fees. The Guild has sets of sharpened tools which can be rented by the students taking the class (picked up or shipped). The $50 fee includes the 4 week class, the wood for the project and the rental of the tools which may be kept for 4 weeks after the class then must be returned to the Guild.
Scot Lang certainly spoke for all/many of us when he said “ I’m thankful for the whole month” of November, and gave thanks to our country’s veterans and wished them a Happy Veteran’s Day.
Stay well, carvers. Keep thankful and hopeful. Stay in touch as often as you can.
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
Central Coast Woodcarvers, Chapter 7 of the California Carver’s Guild
November 3rd
Carvers~ 16 of us chatted today on Google MEET. It was terrific to see Dick Marshall after such a long absence! (see Dick’s photos)
The 9 carvers who participated in the yoyo class presented by Scot Lang last Thursday enjoyed the live and well organized presentation. It was a fun project with some carvers looking forward to carving additional yoyos. We agreed that this virtual format worked well for class instruction and look forward to more classes being offered this way. Scot is looking for class presenters for future projects, possibly even more complex with a multi-staged process.
Delivery of treats on Halloween was made in creative ways: Scot Lang made a “Treat Chute” (photo) to distribute goodies to the 30-40 costumed characters who came by his house. Larry Wade mentioned the neighborhood parade that was held near his Oregon home, with a table of treats made available in the middle of the street.
Laurie and Tom Wright currently have the CCW club’s knife sharpener. It is available for use by our members. Call the Wrights to schedule a time to sharpen your knives, if needed.
Larry Wade sent some copies of 1970’s era Chip Chat ornament designs. (attached) Larry will be teaching a FREE 5 week workshop of Max Sutter patterns. He will provide the basswood and a selection of 5-6 presharpened tools for $15-$20 if needed by the attendees. The tools will need to be returned following the workshop. Home tools may be used in lieu , such as a 10mm #9 and others. Three of twelve panels will be included in this workshop. This exercise will be especially good for grain training and tool positioning, and gets progressively more complicated. (see flier) Contact Larry to sign up for the class and to be given the password to attend. Larry’s contact information is on the CCW website (accessible only to CCW members). Please access the roster when able for CCW member contact information. If you have attempted to do so without success, you may then request the information from me.
The course on Gil Drake tools is being presented next Tuesday, November 10, at 7 p.m. See previous newsletter for details
We talked of current COVID restrictions for our county. There is rather unclear and conflicting information available. Scot Lang will attempt to get more specific information regarding our club being permitted to sponsor a group event such as a tool swap or ornament exchange, for instance. It is our understanding that no shared food would be allowed, so no potlucks will be had until given clearance. Suggested sites for review of COVID statistics are emergencyslo.org on the web and the SmartNews App on your phone.
Melody Mullis’s wolf is coming along, awaiting installation of its tail. Melody hopes the piece will be ready for display at our next Woodcarver’s Show, which we all hope to happen in 2021.
Marsha Goss has been enjoying the decent weather, getting outside and tending to her garden beds. She finished her yoyo with a seasonal pattern (photo)
Jim Cady is also finishing his yoyo and is working on carving a spoon from sycamore wood. (photo)
Carol Dwyer has been working on small pieces from her large collection of starter pieces, enough, she says, to keep her busy for 25 years!
Yvonne Bailey has been enjoying putting her Pegasus bandsaw/scroll saw to frequent use. She is trying to perfect carving crows, finding their beaks to be especially challenging. She showed us a number of pieces she’s working on.
Gary Hensley, our CCG President and Channel Islands carver, has been working on pen boxes and a router box.
Charlie Roberts is looking forward to trying his hand at layer carving, perhaps with an ornament.
Pat Rygh was able to woodburn 2 of the anticipated 2500 feathers on his gyrfalcon yesterday. “Slow going”, he says.
Dot Rygh has a woodburning project in process as well as her gourd. She sanded her yoyo to make it more even/balanced and would like to make another. “It was fun!”
Al Plasch, from Channel Islands Carvers, is working on a relief carving. It includes tiny grapes which were a challenge until he used a concave nail punch to make them. Scot Lang mentioned that nail punches are also good for animal eyes, and can be heated to burn the circle in.
CCW BUSINESS:
Central Coast Woodcarvers will soon have its own official US mailbox/address , located at the Morro Bay Post Office. Our CCW President and their designee will carry the keys. Scot Lang will be in charge of the mailbox and Charlie Roberts will check the box for incoming mail, once it’s established in our club’s name.
Our annual Election of Officers/business meeting, possible tool raffle and ornament exchange will be held on Tuesday December 8 via Google MEET. Your current CCW officers will put together a nominations list and ballot for the positions of President, Treasurer and Secretary. Scot Lang, Tom Nickelson and Laurie Wright currently hold these positions.
·Some of the tools to be offered in the raffle include a carved walking stick (possibly of Harold Inlow’s), a collection of new tools from the Bob Goss collection offered by Marsha Goss, & a new 18volt variable speed drill offered by Scot Lang. How to hold the raffle is to be determined.
·
Do carve your ornament for the annual ornament exchange, led by Head Elf Pat Rygh.
Details of the raffle and the logistics of delivery/receipt of the ornaments are being considered by the Ryghs. Details to come.
May you all enjoy a peaceful week,
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
News - Summer 2020
August 25th
Hello Carvers!
At least 15 of us met today on Google MEET. It was great to see some long missed faces and to catch up with everyone.
August is a big month for birthdays and anniversaries: we wished Jeanie and Charlie Roberts Happy Birthdays. Bob Schnieders and Walt Ross will be celebrating birthdays within the week. The following couples enjoy August anniversaries: Gary Hensley and his wife celebrated 54 years together, Scot and Cirilla Lang celebrated 32 years (Marsha Goss was in attendance at their wedding at the site that is now a skate park), Ray & Helen Johnson have been married 61 years, Shelly & Rick Elisarraras have enjoyed 50 years married, Tom & Laurie Wright will celebrate their 40th anniversary (photo), and Ed & Caroline Zirbel are celebrating 60 years as husband & wife (photo)! Congratulations to all on their marital longevity! ( I will gladly share celebratory photos forwarded to me)
We discussed the results of our potential CCW tool swap. The majority were interested and eager for this event to happen. Unfortunately, upon post MEET research, Scot Lang has found that the current state COVID guildelines Phase 2 disallows any gatherings, indoor or outdoor, that bring together persons from multiple households ( information available on ReadySLO). Thus, we will have to hold off on any meeting plans until the guidelines change in our favor.
Projects our carvers have been/are working on:
-
Kristen Bachman- an elephant (in group photo) and bark- carved faces (photo), which she'll separate into individual ornaments.
-
Dot Rygh - woodburned her avocet carving: a male, as the feathers are darker than a female's
-
Breck Smith - a whimsical rooster, many Olaf's (with golf tees for arms and noses), and a collection of fanciful bugs which he gives to neighborhood children to paint( group photo)
-
Dave Johnson - a spatula and a carved totem with a caged ball inside (in group photo)
-
Ray Johnson - canning peaches in hot and smoky Modesto
-
Scot Lang - seaturtles with embedded rocks collected in Julian, CA (He passed by Kristen's mother-n-law's shop Hog Heaven while there)
-
Yvonne Bailey - a clown, a Big Foot, carved avocado seeds with embedded sea glass. (She recommends carving the pits just a few days after removing from the fruit, and peeling off the top dark layer of skin for better carving) Yvonne has been taking private carving classes via Zoom from well known Chris Hammack who lives in Mexico, on a small island.
-
Melody Mullis - her wolf has its legs on it, but further carving is on hold until her models return after her deck rebuild is complete.
-
Tom Wright - 8 blanket ladders are in the works
-
Vickie Hopson - carving baby dolls from her UFO (unfinished object) collection. It's been 15 years since she started carving these pieces.
-
Jeanie Roberts - joined Charlie in the workshop today, her first day of carving following shoulder surgery. Welcome back, Jeanie!
-
Jim Cady - making progress on his pair of carved boots
-
Marsha Goss - staying indoors as the air quality around her in Clarksburg is oppressively smokey. No woodburning indoors for her, either!
-
See Ed Zirbel's transformation of a piece of buckeye (Home Page scroll through images)
We also had the following discussions/comments:
-
Several of our carvers have happily accidentally or intentionally met up with fellow carvers.
-
Summer wood vs winter wood and the resulting hardness
-
Gary Hensley reported that a fellow carver, in Portland OR, is interested in how our group is running so he can follow the lead in his area. Contact information to come.
-
The CCW display is still up at the Los Osos Library, at least through August, perhaps longer if there are no displays set to follow.
-
COVID talk led to being informed that 2 members of a carver's family are currently quite ill with COVID (get well soon!) and another CCW member felt sure that she had COVID in February and was hospitalized for it before testing was made available. Our carvers were urged to take this virus seriously and to get your FLU shots, which are now available.
-
Suggested video tutorials to make and show: how to make a wooden yoyo or a whistle (Ed Zirbel, have you made one?)
-
The fires: Scot Lang, former state ranger, shared interesting information: An area where he was posted, Felton CA has now been evacuated and friends homes have burned. Big Basin has burned although Scot reports that the 300 foot, 1000 year old trees on flat land may survive due to their thick bark. On the other hand, trees growing on a slope tend to drop their self pruned needles and branches upslope against their trunks and are more prone to burning. The fire burns through the bark into the core, burning the inside and also burns the far reaching roots, often for days. OUR collective CCW thoughts go out to all who are affected by the fires.
-
We will continue with our weekly on-line sessions! If you are having trouble accessing the meeting(s) contact Charlie Roberts. Don't be intimidated by the technology, as each meeting is started by several of us fumbling about trying to get our video and/or our microphone to work, our screens to show all participants, and trying to log out. We are all trying to get by in this new phase of ours.... and we have a great time seeing all who are participating.
-
Hoping to see each of you soon,
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
August 18th
Hello Carvers,
Please read the following, from our MEET discussion today and reply to me either YES or NO, and optional: WHY or WHY NOT by next Tuesday: Would you be interested in participating in a CCW Tool/wood Swap at St Timothy's Church in mid to late October 2020?
The 10 attendees in today's Google MEET session talked about this proposed activity at length. Scot Lang received a message from St Timothy's church notifying him that the church is agreeable to have a swap meet held either indoors or outside in the parking lot. Due to the current state of COVID considerations we would have to be able to ensure that participants were masked and maintaining social distance. A Purell sanitizing station might be a necessity. Exit and Entry directions would be clearly marked. We would have to consider the # of attendees at any given time. The event would only be open to our CCW members and would be designated as private. We would need a committee to coordinate this activity. It was voiced that perhaps this event should be held off until a later date due to the current state of events and potential risk to our members. I will collect your responses and report at our next meeting.
Scot Lang mentioned that it will soon be time to vote in your 2021 Chapter 7 Officers. If you are interested in the position of President, Treasurer and/or Secretary please let Scot know. It is unlikely that we will have our annual end-of-the year meeting and holiday party at this point: we will let you know how elections will be taking place.
Scot showed us his large pile of harvested zucchini, with more ripening on the vine. He is eager to share his crop with any who would like some. Who has a favorite zucchini recipe?
Temperatures: 112 in Clarksburg (with smoky and cloudy skies), 102 in Atascadero (with a rolling blackout from 3 p.m. until midnight), 72 in Los Osos. We discussed the ongoing California wildfires and expressed thanks for our brave and dedicated firefighters.
What members have been working on:
*Kristen Bachman - carving an elephant out of basswood and faces in cottonwood bark (see meeting group photo)
*Jim Cady - carving a pair of boots
*Gary Hensley - carved an eagle head (see photo)
*Dot Rygh - researching her family's genealogy
*Pat Rygh - replacing and refinishing their front door
*Tom Wright - stripping eucalyptus bark from branches for blanket ladders (see photo)
* Charlie Roberts- carving picture frames
* Bill Bishop completed a pair of wood ducks, ordered by a collector. (see photo)
Scot Lang and Gary Hensley reminisced about Ventura's thrift stores and the great finds to be had there: Hawaiian shirts, puzzles, a like-new Jim Shore Santa for $1.50, wooden duck blanks. Gary reports that Main Street Ventura is now closed to traffic, with restaurant seating spilling out over the road.
Charlie Roberts, Tom Wright and Laurie Wright went kayaking in Morro Bay yesterday which provided a refreshing respite from the heat and on-land doldrums. (see photo)
We wish Charlie Roberts and Jeanie Roberts much HAPPY on their BIRTHDAYS this next week! (I am happy to share carver celebrations with our members. Send me the date, the event and anything else you'd like to mention and I will add it to our CCW calendar)
Again, please respond to me ASAP with your input regarding a tool/wood swap for our members. Only I will know who responded and how. All comments will be taken into consideration when deciding about holding this event.
Keep cool and safe, Carvers,
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
News - Spring 2020
May 26th.
Hello carvers!
How nice to see so many bright smiling faces during our ZOOM meeting today. We all introduced ourselves as some hadn't met due to time and distance. We enjoyed listening to Kristen's birds cooing in their dovecote and the rhythmic ch-ch-ch of Breck's sandpaper. Scot transported us to the Yucatan with a fabulous ancient temple as his background. Vickie Hopson joined us from Copperopolis and Marsha Goss from Clarksburg. Dave Johnson and Jerry Graybill and Breck Smith talked to us from their outdoor patios. We touched on quite a few topics today and made suggestions for other modes of communicating with our fellow carvers:
-
All of us were glad to say that we've been staying healthy and keeping safe. Breck and Scott and Marsha have sewn hundreds of masks, with Marsha donating hers to Kaiser Permanente hospital. Scot gave us a fashion show of his assorted masks, including a Nacho Libre pattern, Hawaiian styles and more, with Jerry selecting a few of Scot's pieces for his own use. If anyone would like a mask, Scot has them available (408)482-1951.
-
Mid-chat, Vickie initiated a virtual group hug, which was enormously uplifting. We are looking forward to the day that we can hug in reality.
-
Scot updated us on his garden: corn growing over head high, and squash blossoms for breakfast. He shared his squash blossom fritter technique with us.
-
Breck Smith was working on his "knitty knotty" which he'll use to spin his dog's fur into yarn.
-
Jim Cady was working on his stars and Santas.
-
Melody Mullis stated that even though the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum is included in Phase 3 of openings(not Phase 1 as I stated previously) , she's still hopeful that it will be open in July.
-
Kristen Bachman spoke to us from inside her dovecote and told us a bit about her birds. She's carved a beautiful piece of walnut into a mother and baby giraffe. Kristen is anticipating having carpal tunnel surgery in the near future and got some good feedback from Vickie, who's gone through that surgery, and more, on her wrist a year ago.
-
Yvonne Bailey would like a tutorial on carving teeth in a face, via ZOOM or other medium. She showed us some of her beautiful quilts, patterned with her donkeys. Marsha's knowledge of quilting came through as she commented, and as her email suggests ( new to us: letsquilt12@gmail.com)
-
Dave Johnson was carving a wooden Santa. He will put a video tutorial together about carving pipestone and send it to me to post. He has pipestone pieces available: he will carve the roughouts for our carvers and send to anyone who would like to work with this stone . Dave and George Newell both gave a little historical account of the stone coming from Pipestone, Minnesota, material which was/is often used by Native Americans for their peacepipes. Dave has carved owls and turtles and more out of pipestone. He is planning on making some "totems" for the Native American Flutes he's made/will be making.
-
Charlie Roberts would like those of us to submit a photo of ourselves, any history we'd like shared and samples of our carvings to be displayed on the public access portion of our CCW website. (He's posted a bio on his wife Jeanie, which is a good reference. Please take a peek.). Submit your information to Charlie, as you'd like it written, to chasmoes@gmail.com or to Charlie Roberts at 680 Napa Ave, Morro Bay 93342
-
A suggestion was made for tutorial of classes to be made and posted on U-Tube, available to a wide audience as well as our own club members. Marsha recommended Dave Stetson as someone who could help. Charlie Roberts sates that uploading to U-tube is not difficult (for him), and he would be able to group our carving videos to our own U-tube site.
We all agreed that these ZOOM meetings were beneficial and looked forward to participating in the weeks to come. Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m.
Did you happen to catch Mention of Dick Marshall in Kathe Tanner's column last week about accomplishing things during this period of staying-at-home?
Looking forward to seeing many of you next week!
Until then,
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
May 19th.
Hello carvers!
Eleven of us "met " this morning via ZOOM and enjoyed seeing familiar friendly faces and catching up a bit. (see photo) Our session lasted a little over 45 minutes. We showed off some of our pieces, shared some advice, took tours of our home, garden and familes, caught up on news and shared that we were all keeping as safe as we could. There was agreement that we should continue with our weekly ZOOM sessions.
*Scot Lang and Breck Smith have been busy making masks. Breck has sewn close to 100 masks. Scot has repurposed old Hawaiians shirts for some of his masks. (see photo)
*Charlie Roberts has carved over 50 flutes, each requiring a stand, the slide and a cover, all made by Charlie.
*Melody Mullis is anticipating the museum to re-open in Phase 1. She shared her competed Uncle Sam (see piece ,pre-painting, in photo) a woodburning of elephants and a carved piece.
*Tom Nickelson described the challenges of carving his beaver piece.
*Jim and Donna Cady have missed baking for our group.
*Kristen Bachman showed us her beautiful piece, carved out of old bug eaten wood, which has given some special character to the piece.
*Scot Lang still has approximately 20 star and Uncle Sam blanks for the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum tree. Jim will be taking a few off of Scot's hands. Let Scot know if you could carve any of the remaining pieces. Melody and I will meet after collecting all of the completed ornaments/pieces and she will decorate the tree.
*Yvonne Bailey has been filling her hours on carving several figurines, several of which she shared during our ZOOM session (see photo) She has a pair of new carving knives which she's having trouble opening. The group suggestions included using various forms of oil and graphite as well as old fashioned manual action to loosen/open up the blades from their closed positions.
*We were all happy to see George Newell on our screens.
*Tom Wright completed his 12th Little Free Library, now installed in front of a beautiful craftsman style home in San Luis Obispo (see photo) Tom's libraries are located in Los Osos(4), San Luis Obispo (2), Camarillo (2), Sonora, Petaluma, Mt View & Elk Grove. He also built the Little Free Pantry in Los Osos.
*Scot Lang explained the rationale for cancelling this year's Woodcarving Show, and suggested perhaps presenting a virtual show on our website. We will discuss the logistics of this, with webmaster Charlie Roberts' help.
* Several of our carvers have been taking a break from carving due to acute and long-term arm, wrist and hand injuries. Heal well and soon, carvers!
Several of our members missed out on the ZOOM meeting as they have come up with their own way to meet, maintaining proper social-distancing space as they gather to carve, masked, in an undisclosed Cambria parking lot. (see photo)
Jeanie Roberts has been perfecting her woodburning techniques on coasters for her family, taking up to 3 days to get the piece just beautifully right. (see photo)
Ed Zirbel's daughter is the lucky recipient of his 4 drawer bandsaw box. (see photo) In the works is a 2 drawer bandsawbox.
Walt Ross has recently made over 20 pens, gifting some to Joyce's ankle surgeon and staff and 6 for the patriots tree at the museum. His pens also include Wild Card and Motorcycle themed pens (foreground in photo)
Central Coast Woodcarvers had a nice showing in the most recent California Carver's Guild LOG. Thank you to LOG editor Gary Eaves.
We will meet again next week at 10:00 on ZOOM, for those who want to join in. If you had trouble or need assistance with logging in to ZOOM I will do my best to assist you.
Please keep well, stay safe and see you soon!
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
May 11th.
Hello carvers,
As you'll see in the attached pictures, some of our carvers have been busy! Breck Smith shared that he's switched mediums this week, sewing masks in lieu of carving wood. Tom Nickelson is making progress on his myrtlewood beaver project, destined for Oregon once he's cpmpleted. Ed Zirbel bought the chunk of alabaster in Arizona last year and with much rasping, wet-sanding and polishing created his beautiful piece. We traded some of our free range eggs for some masks and blanks for the History Museum tree from Scot Lang.
Speaking of the History Museum: Melody Mullis, museum director , reports that the museum is included in Phase 1 of San Luis Obispo's reopening plan. Melody expects that the museum may reopen in July, on weekends only to start. Saying that, please continue to work on your pieces for the tree. We'd like an approximate count of how many pieces will be available. Please email me your anticipated count. If we don't have enough completed to decorate the tree, Melody has another exhibit that she can put on display this year and will use our ornaments next year. If there ARE enough, the tree might be displayed with our pieces this year AND possibly next year as well. I will be happy to collect the pieces competed by those of you here on the coast and I will deliver them to Melody. We can make arrangements for pick up from other locales as well. Please plan on having your pieces collected by June 23rd.
After much consideration by the club officers and Dick Marshall, show chairman, it has been deemed necessary to cancel our 43rd Woodcarver's Show, scheduled for September 17 & 18. While greatly disappointing, under the circumstances, with so many unknowns and possible restrictions, it is felt that this is the most reasonable decision at this time. All of the work already put in towards this year's show is greatly appreciated and hopefully can by applied towards next year's show. The pieces already ear marked for display or sale will hopefully keep until then as well, and additional time is now available to increase the supply. Your comments or questions regarding the decision may be directed to Scot Lang at (408)482-1951 or via email ltocs58@gmail.com
In light of the food insecurity many members of our county are now experiencing, a donation has been made to the San Luis Obispo Food Bank from the Central Coast Woodcarvers. The 1,750 meals that our $250 donation will provide will make a significant difference. Our club is also continuing donations to St. Timothy's Catholic Church in Morro Bay, where we hope to soon be able to gather again weekly in their annex for our carving sessions.
At Scot Lang's suggestion I will be setting up a shared ZOOM conference for any of our carvers that would like to join in beginning NEXT Tuesday, May 19, scheduled at 10:00 a.m. This will be an opportunity to say hello to some familiar friendly faces and catch up a little. Showing some of your pieces would be most welcome, so have them nearby. If you are unfamiliar with ZOOM, you may let me know and I will walk you through it. I will initially host the meetings and send an email out each Tuesday morning with a meeting ID and password.
Cindy Pomerico sent the following(see below), to be shared with our group. We all miss our dear friend, Matt and send virtual hugs and much love to Cindy and the Pomerico family..
Until next week's ZOOM meeting,
May 4th
Greetings, Carvers!
Thanks to Bob and Jeanie for sending in photos of their pieces this week. Nice work!! Anyone else have anything to show and or share??
A few months back I was approached by David "Sus" Susalla who is the Executive Director of the Gualala Arts gallery in Gualala (on the road to Big Sur). The gallery features artists and their pieces. Understandably, the gallery may be closed at this point in time, but once open again may be a nice venue to visit and/or potentially display your pieces. David would like to talk to any of our carvers who might
be interested in showing there. You may contact David at Sus@GualalaArts.org, visit their site at www.GualalaArts.org, or phone 707-884-1138.
There's not much to report this week. It's very quiet out there.
April 29th
Dear carvers,
Please enjoy these photos submitted by Susie Bishop (of Bill and his drake) and Dick Marshall. It's refreshing to see projects come to life. Kudos to Bill, for working on a beautiful piece for our
Woodcarver's Show, and to Dick for trying a new type of carving (fish, not birds) as requested by a friend. You both are artists extraordinaire!
Take care, dear carvers, until we may meet again,
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
April 22nd
Springtime greetings, carvers!
I’ve heard from quite a few of you this week and am happy to share your updates with our group.
Our chapter President, Scot Lang, writes “I hope everyone is keeping safe. It’s so difficult not being able to meet and carve with all of my friends. I’ve been keeping busy taking care of my mom. I worry each time I leave the house that there is a potential to bring home the virus and cause her harm. I’ve also been pulling weeds around the yard and making cloth masks for friends and family (see photo) I will have to catch up on carving but it seems more important to make the masks right now. I have no shortage of takers right now! Need a stylish mask anyone? Stay safe everyone! We will be able to get together again soon, although we may have to settle for air hugs for the time being.”
Jeanie Roberts has made patriotic butterflies for the July tree and woodburned a rose onto a coaster (photos). She’s making sets of coasters for her children to perfect her woodburning techniques. She pines that as soon as she decided to join the carving group, and was getting to know “our wonderful carvers”, everything stopped. She looks forward to seeing everyone again.
Dot Rygh forwarded the article about Bob and Marsha Goss which was included in the Beacon, a newsletter from the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse. She notes that Hans Kock and Ed and Carolyn Zirbel were also part of the lighthouse restoration project. Thanks to all who worked on this beautiful piece of history! (see attached article)
Pat Rygh finished 10 Liberty Bells for the July tree at the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum. (see photo) "Now on to something else."
Marsha Goss extends a “thank you to all the carvers for their support for Bob. He loved the woodcarving group and we spent many years of enjoyment with the group. Miss them all so much!” She is glad to read about so many of them in our newsletters.
Yvonne Bailey has been staying in her house, except for visiting with their animals and she has been riding their mules. She has been busy carving and woodburning (see photos). She’s hoping “this is over fast and can come to visit you all in Morro Bay soon.”
Ed Zirbel copied a book pattern and created the “Whale Play” band-saw jewelry box. The one shown is about 9”Lx5”Dx5”H. It is from a 2” thick black walnut board, cut and laminated then cut on a band saw. (photos)
Raymond Foster, who joined us last year, was sidelined soon thereafter. He’s been able to carve again recently and wanted to share “Sandy” the Sea Turtle which he carved for his wife. (see photos) He’ll join us again when we all can next gather together.
Charlie Roberts just finished a “bunch of high toned flutes.” He reports that they “took forever” and he won’t do that big of a batch again. The process includes making the flute, carving the fetish, making a stand, making a cover, and decorating it all. They will make gifts for the grandchildren and great grandchildren.” (see photos)
Walt Ross “Finally finished Janette!!!. Started her 20 yrs ago with the most famous Janet in our carving world. I harvested the Catalpa in a friends yard in Iowa. The little guy is a revolutionary war cadet for the patriots tree (July 4th) at Paso Robles Museum. I also made some patriotic themed pens.” Walt has also “been doing nurse and homemaker duty for Joyce. She gets the last stitches removed from her ankle tomorrow (her birthday).
Thanks to all who contributed to this week's newsletter. I haven't made a thing except precious memories with my grandchildren, which will hopefully last as long as your beautifully carved pieces!
Keep those updates coming! Your carving pals are enjoying the news and inspiration!
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
April 14th
Dear Carvers,
What has inspired you this week? What have you made time for? What is bringing you joy? Who has touched your life? Who and what are you thankful for?
*Dot and Pat Rygh shared photos of their drive up to Shell Creek Road for a little change of scenery among the wildflowers. (see photos)
*Bob Schnieders has been contentedly sheltering at home and carving pieces for the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum, for the Woodcarver's Show raffle giveaways, and has completed his Viking piece. (see photos)
* Breck Smith has been working on a candlestick made from various woods (see photo)
*Joyce Ross is recovering from ankle surgery and has advanced to using a wheelchair. Her "Personal Visiting Angel", Walt, has proudly done some cooking and cheesecake baking and has been carving a patriotic figure for the PR Museum as well as finishing a female figure and 3 pens. Joyce and Walt just celebrated their 16th anniversary. Congratulations Walt & Joyce!
*Melody Mullis has been working on pieces for the July Tree at the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum. She hopes to have 50 stars made when this batch is done! (see photo)
*Shelly Elisararras shared the wonderful news that her husband Rick is in total remission from the pancreatic cancer he was diagnosed with last year! Shelly's been making face masks, some chick-themed for Easter. (see attached)
*Charlie Roberts shared that a community member found us via our website and is offering to donate various sized dowels that were previously used for keeping shoes straight during shipping to stores. He also has a variety of small, medium and large cloth bags which could be used to protect wooden pieces. (see photos) He is willing to mail via USPS or wait until the COVID concerns are resolved to deliver. If he has no takers for these supplies, he will be discarding them. You many contact Daniel Walker at dan.walker@charter.net
*Happy upcoming birthday later this week to Tom Wright! I'm happy to have shared more than a few decades of birthday cake with him!
* Happy upcoming birthdays also a little further in the month to Frances Abenido, Joyce Ross and Ed Zirbel! May you all celebrate the joys you've brought to so many!
*Dave Dignam was asked to remember our friend Matt Pomerico in an article for the Broken Blade remembrance page in the upcoming edition of the CCG LOG. Thank you, Dave, for honoring Matt so genuinely. That piece is posted below, as all CCW carvers are not members of the CCG. Also included is the obituary for Matt which was included in today's Tribune. Indeed, we will always miss and remember Matt.
Thanks to those who have sent pictures and stories about their activities while we've been apart. I'm happy to receive them and to keep the connections going among our group.
Thankful that we can still be in touch even while apart,
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
Central Coast Woodcarvers
April 7th
It's quiet out there, isn't it Carvers?
A few of you have sent photos of your projects and mentioned what you're up to. Certainly we'd like to hear from more of you, so please send in your pictures and/or report in to tell us about your activities while
we're apart.
I added a few of our older pictures of several of our carvers.....remember them? I'm so hoping that we'll be able to take new portraits soon!
Belated birthday greetings to Dave Osman and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to his lovely wife, Kate!
Kristen writes that she's been carving and is contentedly sheltering with her two teens and her husband. Ray Johnson is tackling some "round to it " projects. Tom Wright has a Little Free Library in progress, but
further building is on hold as he is, instead, carving out time (pun intended) with the grandchildren as we shelter together. Scot Lang has been sewing face masks in addition to working on bracelets and on
ornaments for the July tree. Pat Rygh has 4 ornaments in progress.
Emails and cards and texts are being welcomed by the Pomerico family.
May you all take care, stay well, remember to give thanks to those who continue to do their jobs to keep us going, and keep hope alive that we'll meet again before too long,
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
March 31st
Dear Carvers,
Although still unable to meet, at least through April, it's good to keep in touch and share our current projects and news with each other. I will be glad to attach photos and updates from you in a weekly newsletter.
Melody shared the photo of stars she's worked on for the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum tree, Dick is carving a trout for a good friend, Tom Nickelson reports that he is"carving a beaver to go in the home of the new president of Oregon State University. I completed my clay model and finally got a piece of Oregon myrtlewood for the carving. The wood was donated by a myrtlewood shop in Gold Beach, Oregon. The wood is 15"x10"x7" and just barely fits in my band saw. Now I have to figure out how to get the pattern of the clay model on the block of wood." Pat Rygh has been working on ornaments as well as having completed his sailor troll ("Any resemblance to any of my carving table mates, is in the eye of the beholder", he says) Scot has been working on tying bracelets as well as carving. Tom and I are sheltering at home with our grandchildren as their first responder parents are working extra shifts and trying to keep their home and family virus free. Needless to say, we haven't had a chance at all to carve, but are making precious memories for the four of us to remember in years to come.
Thanks to Gary Eaves, the editor of the CCG LOG for including some of our photos and news in the latest edition. Gary is a recipient of our CCW newsletters and includes what works best for the articles as he puts the LOG together. The latest edition also included a nice tribute to our friend, Bob Goss. If you don't get the LOG, you may do so by joining the California Carver's Guild at www.californiacarversguild.com Some new members of the CCG include Charlie Roberts and Breck Smith from our CCW chapter.
Belated birthday wishes go out to Kristen and Carol, and upcoming happy birthday wishes to Diane! You might be celebrating in a different way this year but here's hoping that you celebrated in the best way possible in the current circumstances.
We are also sending Joyce Ross our good wishes as she recovers from a fractured ankle and the surgery to repair it. Walt is, no doubt, tending to her with great care. We hope to hear that you are up and about soon, Joyce!
The planned Fort Hope fundraiser scheduled at the end of April has been cancelled, as has the Oakhurst Rendezvous.
Cindy Pomerico shares, via Dave Dignam, that the immediate Pomerico family are spending precious time together, by Matt's side as his periods of wakefulness diminish. Continued thoughts and prayers for the entire Pomerico family are most welcome.
Dave reminds us that if we have the wood and the tools, we can cut out our own blanks for the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum (he provided some sample photos and measurements in our last newsletter) He has shared some blanks with Dick. Scot Lang (408-482-1951) has cut out 50 stars/santas/Uncle Sam blanks to share. Bob Schnieders (818-749-0002)is willing to pick up blanks from Scot and deliver them to carvers who request a supply.
Dave Dignam asked me to share the following:
"Genevieve was a friend of our club and Don Calver's companion for many years."
May the time spent apart pass all in good time, and may we be reminded when it's over of how well we were able to manage in challenging circumstances, how little we can, indeed, do without, how important it is to keep in touch, and how much we appreciate our friends, family and the kind wave or good deed from those both familiar and strangers,
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
March 23rd
Dear Carvers,
Even though we're under orders to socially isolate face-to-face, we can still keep in touch in so many ways. How uplifting have been the many texts, emails, messages and calls that have been made and received since the directive to shelter in place. Keep your family, friends and neighbors in mind and check in with them frequently.
This note was sent from our dear friend, Matt:"Love to all and my personal thanks." We miss you, Matt, and are keeping you close in heart!
We will continue to hold off on any carving sessions until the shelter in place directive has been lifted. Scot and Dave have blanks to carve for the July tree at the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum. Perhaps there are creative and clever arrangements that can be made for delivery/pick up.
This forwarded to me by Rindi Patterson, sent to her by Sharon Terrel: "March 21, 2020 To all CCG Members With a lot of thought and deliberation by Larry Smith to ensure the health and well being of everyone the Oakhurst Woodcarving Rendezvous has been postponed until next year due to the Corona Virus. At this time everything that was planned for this year will happen next year! For those who have sent in an application and/or deposit you will be given the option of holding it over till next year or getting your money back and reapplying next year. Please let Larry know as soon as you can which option you want. I am very sad to report th by by is as this event is my favorite week of the year!!! After 49 consecutive years of carving shows Capitol Woodcarvers Association has cancelled their show this year for the same reason…. Gary Hensley CCG President"
Several of our CCW members have sent updates of their projects. Thanks to Breck, Jeanie and Dick for this week's submissions. I've included a little moment of chicken feather zen from my garden this morning as my photo. Please do send pictures and any anecdotes or notes about your activities so we can keep connected while apart.
Bill and Susan and Dick all shared this today on their facebook pages: "On the bright side, I am no longer calling this shelter-in-place. I am now an artist-in-residence." Keep smiling!!
Missing you all, and looking forward to being together again soon,
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
March 17th
Hello Carvers,
Although we aren't meeting to carve as a group it is hoped that you've been able to take a little break from the potentially overwhelming news reports and focus instead on a relaxing and therapeutic activity such as carving at home.
On that note, Dave Dignam and Scot Lang have blank pieces for our July project at the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum cut out and ready to carve. For those in the Cambria area, you may call Dave at 805-440-5510 to arrange to pick up your blanks. For those in or near Los Osos you may contact Scot at 408-482-1951. RED, WHITE and BLUE is our theme for the patriotic tree display.
Dave shared that he spent some quality time with Matt yesterday at the Pomerico's home. Matt was in good spirits. Both he and Dave mutually appreciated the company and conversation. To send Matt a message, you may email Cindy at clpomerico@gmail.com and she will share your note with him. If you would like to visit Matt, please FIRST call Cindy at 805-238-6669 to arrange an appropriate time. Cindy will return your call as soon as she can to schedule a visit, which will depend on a variety of factors. Thank you for continuing to keep Matt & his family in your thoughts.
"ALSO HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS IS- Kindness, Patience, Love, Enthusiasm and a Positive Attitude. Don't wait to catch it from others...Be the Carrier" (anon.)
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
Central Coast Woodcarvers, Chapter 7 of the California Carver's Guild.
March 10th
Hello Carvers,
Our group was a little smaller than usual today and the chat was largely focused on health related topics. We will continue to hold our carving sessions unless directed otherwise by the County of San Luis Obispo.
That being said, we ask that if you are feeling at all ill, please refrain from attending. There is a great deal of conflicting information being aired and shared: the most certain advice is to wash hands with MUCH more frequency and for longer duration than you probably practiced before the Coronavirus outbreak and to sanitize your surfaces (including cell phones) often to reduce the potential transmission of viruses and bacteria.
We were happy to have Kristen back with us after an extended absence.
Dave Dignam shared that Cindy Pomerico has kept him apprised of Matt's health status. Matt is currently in the hospital. He is not taking calls or wanting visitors at this time but texts, cards and emails to
let Matt (and Cindy) know that we're thinking of him/them are welcome. Prayers and thoughts for Matt are in each falling raindrop today.
Walt and Scot will be traveling to an upcoming memorial for Bob Goss. Thank you attending and for representing Bob's Central Coast Woodworking family, Gentlemen. Marsha, you have all of our loving support.
Scot and Dave will be standing in for Matt at this Saturday's (March 14) carving at the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum, 1-4 p.m. Please consider joining them to work on your patriotic items for the museum's
July display.
We use many tools and implements in our craft. I thought I'd include of few of those in our photo gallery today.
As someone once said: "Woodworking minus patience equals firewood".
With appreciation for the beautiful rain coming down and for each of you,
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
March 3rd
Hello Carvers,
Happy birthday to Dave Patterson this week!
Our absent friends are on our minds. Good thoughts are being sent to them.
Dave Johnson would like a head count for those expecting to take his Pipestone Carving class on March 24 & 31. There will be a sign up sheet at next Tuesday's session. Dave will bring examples of tools that are
used in pipestone carving on March 17 and will give a demonstration of the techniques he uses. Pipes and animal figures are among the many pieces that can be carved using pipestone.
Remember to SPRING your clocks forward on Sunday, March 8!
Mark your calendars for carving at the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum on Saturday March 14, 1-4 p.m. Patriotic themed blanks will be provided and you can get a peek at the tree we'll be decorating in July. Melody shared that a generous donor gave the museum dozens of (or was it hundreds of?) Uncle Sam figurines, some of which will also adorn the tree in July. Matt Pomerico initiated this project for our
club - let's show him just how many pieces we can carve!
Some tools in use today in the annex were: paintbrushes, knives, chisels, mallets, wood burners, a hair dryer, scorps, dremels, patterns and gourd dye. The annex was a hopping and creative place for the
25 carvers who attended.
Until next time,
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
Winter 2019 - 2020
February 25th, 2020
Dear Carvers,
Our thoughts during Tuesday's session were deeply focused on Matt and his health, on Roy for the recent loss of his wife, and on Scot's mom who is recovering from a broken hip. We will certainly be keeping all of them close and sending healing love their way.
Marilyn Posluszny, a CCW life member, has been in touch from Texas to let us know how much she enjoys hearing about the club's goings-on, seeing familiar and new faces and our projects. Jack Maroney, from Monterey, has sent greetings to his carving friends.
Upcoming events:
March 8: Daylight Savings Time (YAY!)
March 14 (and every 2nd Saturday of the month): Carving at the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum 1-4 p.m. Scot Lang or Dave Dignam will fill in for Matt as needed to lead the sessions.
March 24 & 31: Pipestone Carving by Dave Johnson, in the annex
Please continue to carve your patriotic pieces for our July assignment at the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum, which need to be completed in June. Melody will collect all pieces to adorn the tree on July 1. Carving blanks can be obtained from Dave or Scot.
Please continue to also carve your raffle give-aways (at least 2 per carver, please) and your bigger raffle pieces for the September Show. If you will have a table at the September 19 & 20 Woodcarving Show, no doubt you're working on pieces to show or sell there. Both July and September will roll up on us faster than we expect!
We all are thankful for the friends and "family" we've made through carving. We support each other in so many ways: we celebrate the good times and share the hurt when our carvers are going through tough times. How fortunate we are to have the ability to care for each other and make long lasting connections.
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
Central Coast Woodcarvers, Chapter 7 of the California Carver's Guild.
February 18th, 2020
Dear Carvers,
One corner of the room at today's session was filled with our gourd artists learning to paint/dye the designs they'd burned onto their selected gourds. Prior to applying the colorant, gourds were cleaned with a "49" solution (which can be made at home by mixing Murphy's oil with water - 1 part oil to 10 parts water) Colorants can also be thinned by mixing with this solution. Dye was applied using tiny eyeliner brushes (which can/should be found in the cosmetics aisle of your local retailer) Designs were burned on, painters were painting, heat guns were blasting and beautiful pieces were emerging. Artists, please bring your gourd projects next week to be put on display. Thank you to Scot Lang and Brandy McKay for their encouraging instruction and guidance and provision of supplies during these classes.
Tom, Dave and Bob hammered and chiseled away at their "4 hour projects" in wet wood stumps.
Ornaments, bark houses, trolls, animals, birds, wood burned projects and more were being worked on elsewhere in the room.
We learned of challenges keeping some of our carvers from our recent sessions, including Alicia, Shelley, Ginny and Kristen (see Kristen's email below). We hope they know how much they are missed within their carving family. We all wish them positive progress and speedy returns. We continue to keep Marsha in our thoughts: sweet reminders of Bob continue to pop up as we carve- today I noticed his name printed on our electrical cord plug.
From Kristen Bachman:
"Thought I'd check in with my carvers. I'm still out here in Albuquerque with my Dad and now his wife who is home from her care facility. Her medicare ran out and she is still very ill and not of the best attitude mentally.
Challenging to say the least. Dad improves though. I caught pneumonia and spent a couple nights in the hospital about a week and a half ago. I am getting better and just got back to a koala I've been working on. Missing home and you all desperately hope to see you some Tuesday soon
Kristen"
As winter rolls towards spring, may the clouds bring rain, may we appreciate the beautiful scenery that surrounds us, and may we always cherish our time together as carvers and friends,
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
February 11th, 2020
Dear Carvers,
In addition to our usual supply of tasty goodies, today we enjoyed valentine's treats as well as delicious cakes that were lovingly made by Joyce Ross and Dot Rygh.
Dot and I both have birthdays this week: we were celebrated and serenaded by our thoughtful and enthusiastic friends in the annex. The entire morning was one happy and sugar fueled session! Thank you all for the good cheer and happy wishes! The best gift is the company we keep. (If we omit celebrating your special day it could be because we don't have that information. Feel free to share those dates with me via email or in person so I can add you to our calendar)
We are glad to have Rick back with us after a much too-long absence! He was gone from carving so long that his in-progress piece reportedly just gave up the ghost and crumbled away before he could get back to it. Time to start a new project...
Scot Instructed 12 carvers in the fine art of gourd work. He explained the procedure for safely cleaning gourds of their mold and fungus and for efficiently and safely cleaning out their interiors. Several carvers applied peel and stick patterns onto their gourds while others free-handed their designs. Next week dye and/or paints will be applied to the gourds. Please bring your heat gun if you have one (note: hair dryers will not do the trick).
In the far corner of the annex, 3 of our carvers were heartily pounding away with chisels and mallets on their projects. At other tables in the room, more carvers were quietly whittling, carving, woodburning and/or socializing. Several completed projects were on display, all so unique and awe inspiring. Marsha Goss's thank you note was shared: Bob is missed beyond words here at CCW, too.
Matt had samples of yet-to-be-painted carved patriotic figures and shapes for the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum in July. A group of 10 carvers met there last Saturday and, with Matt's help, began on their own contributions to the tree. If you are interested in contributing (which is hoped that you are!), please ask Matt for a few blanks. The pieces will need to be completed in June, at the latest, for Matt to hang on the tree July 1. The more pieces we hang, the better the 9' tree will look!
Upcoming events include a pipestone carving class, a spoon carving class, the week-long Oakhurst Rendezvous, our annual show and a chain carving class, among others. Check our club's calendar at www.centralcoastwoodcarvers.com
Always appreciative and now a year older, I remain
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
February 4th, 2020
We are fortunate to be able to get together each week to share our appreciation for so many things wood and friendship related, including today's cheers for the return of a very missed dear friend, for the benevolence of St Timothy's church for providing us with a location to meet every week, for the club's officers working diligently behind the scenes, and for the creativity and woodcarving knowledge we so gladly share with each other.
We are grateful for Dick, coordinating this year's Woodcarver's Show and for letting us know that Bill Bishop is readying his duck piece to donate to the raffle. (Thanks, Bill!) We have so many experienced carvers who are willing to share their talents with others in the group by teaching a class or with individual carvers.
We are grateful, too, to the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum for our monthly sessions held there, where Matt generously and kindly lends his time and talents to eager carvers. We appreciate the generosity of time, materials, patience, gifts, edible treats, shared tools, camaraderie and enthusiasm that fills the annex and the museum at our meetings. Every participant brings much to our collective table and we appreciate each and every one!
In appreciation and thanks to St Timothy's for their generosity in allowing us to schedule weekly meetings in their annex and providing us with coffee, it was agreed to voluntarily increase the the Central Coast Woodcarver's payment to the church by $70 per quarter.
Matt Pomerico will be at the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum this coming Saturday, February 8, from 1-4 p.m. Carvers are welcome to join Matt in carving stars and figures for our Christmas in July contribution to the museum's year 'round tree.
Scot and Brandy will be leading a 2 week Gourd Class, beginning February 11, in the annex. We will NOT be piercing or carving gourds in this class. We will be decorating gourds and/or gourd bowls. The focus will be as follows:
Week One's lesson (February 11) will be on designing and burning patterns into selected gourds using "stick and burn" patterns. Class participants should bring their wood burning tools, if available. Attendees of the class were able to select the gourd of their choice today. Scot will cut and clean those gourds, ready for next week's class.
Week Two (February 18) will be focused on coloring and/or dyeing the gourds with gourd dye and/or transparent acrylics. Participants are asked to bring a heat gun if they have one.(Hair Dryers don't qualify) The results are bound to be "Gourd-geous"!
Dick explained that to instruct on bird or feather carving to a group is very difficult, but he is happy and willing to instruct carvers on a 1:1 or 2:1 basis. Please talk to Dick if you are interested.
Thank you to Charlie for maintaining our website www.centralcoastwoodcarvers.com, where you can find our calendar of events, photos of projects, points of interest and more. Members who have requested and been approved by Charlie may access to our member roster and contact information and other member-only data. (Reminder: are you a member? Please pay your 2020 dues to Tom Nickelson, our treasurer, to ensure your membership.)
Today's activities in the annex included wood burning, gourd selection, flute playing, bark carving, small figure and animal carving, portrait carving, relief carving, ornament carving, project admiration, raffle give-away carving, sharing bounty from Jim and Donna's lemon tree, snacking on tasty treats, sipping cups and cups of coffee, lunching in and lunching out, catching up, getting to know one another, and spending quality time together on a Tuesday.
Thanks to Ed for sharing a photo of one of Bob Goss's "3 Minute Owls".
"Woodworking matters. It's more than a pastime or hobby- being a woodworker means that you know the satisfaction and pride that comes from using your hands and mind to build beautiful, functional objects, and that you're as interested in the process as in the outcome. Amid the speed and chaos of the modern world, woodworking gives us a place where we can slow down, pay attention, and take the time to do things right." Aime Ontario Frasier, Your First Workshop: A Practical Guide to What You Really Need, 2005
With much to cheer about,
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
January 28th, 2020
Good day Carvers,
In addition to carving, today's activities in the annex for the 30 attendees included:
-
Remembering our friend Bob Goss with fond recollections, tributes, tears and thanks, and a donation to the Tyler Uslan Foundation in Bob's memory. Scot reminded us that "Bob let you know that the world was a kind place."
-
Expressing care and concern for our friend, Kristen, as she is far away from home caring for her ill parents and their pets. You are missed, Kristen!
-
Wishing ALL of our absent carvers a quick return to the annex and/or the Paso Robles History Museum sessions. Your friends wish you well and a safe return back to us!
-
Thanks to Oscar Minos, of the Fabulous Finds Thrift Shop in Morro Bay (on the corner of Morro Bay Blvd and Napa Ave) who shared many boxes of woodworking manuals, pamphlets, instructions and guides from the estate of Fred M Taylor with us today. Fabulous Finds also has, for sale, a 5' long x 30" deep bench from the Taylor estate.
-
Scot Lang will soon be holding outreach carving sessions with a family of homeschooled children.
-
Jim McLaughlin displayed the relief carvings he made at previous carving sessions and the technique by which he used green sand and molten glass to create a mold for glass tiles from those carvings. Jim's neighbor and talented glassblower/artist/CalPoly instructor, George Jercich, assisted Jim with this project. Jim will advise our group when George next has an open house. (A whimsical piece of George's is currently on display at the Morro Bay Natural History Museum) Jim also displayed a sample of a metal etching he made, likening the technique to woodburning.
-
Matt Pomerico has volunteered our carvers talents to add pieces to the year 'round Christmas/display tree at the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum. We have been assigned to decorate the tree for the month of July 2020. We will carve pieces of a patriotic nature. Matt will provide the blanks for (so far) stars and Uncle Sam. Blanks and instruction will be given at the next carver's session there (February 8, 1-4), and handed out at upcoming Tuesday sessions.
-
Our annual Woodcarving Show is a mere 8 months away (September 19 & 20)!
-
Are you carving pieces for your own show table?
-
Carvers will each, hopefully, donate a good sized piece to the raffle table.
-
Each carver is asked to carve at least 2 small pieces as part of our raffle ticket rewards program. Ideally, we'll have 100+ pieces for those buyers of 20+ raffle tickets to choose from. (Several years ago small carvings of chickens/roosters were a big hit so blanks for these will be soon available and demonstrated at a future Saturday session in Paso Robles. "Comfort Birds" were also suggested for giveaways, so look for those blanks to become available as well) Your own carved pieces of choice are equally welcomed to the raffle table.
-
Show Chairman Dick Marshall is beginning to work on the fine details of the show and will soon be asking for help in various areas as needs arise. There is more than enough for all to assist with!
-
Our 2020 session calendar (subject to change) can be viewed under the CALENDAR section of www.centralcoastwoodcarvers.com website. These dates and activities were suggested today:
-
Every Tuesday in the annex of St Timothy's Church (962 Piney Way) in Morro Bay, 9a.m. - 2 p.m. Specific class instruction may be offered during those sessions. Space is always available for carvers not participating in a class, for their own individual projects.
-
The second Saturday of EACH month: Carving with Matt Pomerico at the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum (2010 Riverside Ave) 1-4 p.m.
-
February 11 & 18: Gourd carving: safety precautions, carving, woodburning, painting etc. Instructors: Scot Lang, Brandy McKay & Dot Rygh
-
March 24 & 31: Pipestone Carving. Instructor: Dave Johnson
-
April 19-25: Oakhurst Rendezvous (for information: wwwcacarversguild.org)
-
May 12, 19 & 26: Spoon Carving: Instructors: Jerry Graybill & Kristen Bachman
-
June: Carvers to work on Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum tree pieces, and Show pieces
-
July: Carvers to work on Show pieces
-
August: Carvers to wok on Show pieces
-
September 19 & 20: WOODCARVER'S SHOW! (all hands onboard!)
-
October 13, 20 & 27: Chain Carving. Instructor: Scot Lang
-
November :TBA
-
December: CCW member and family Holiday party, ornament exchange and business meeting.
It's no doubt that we all have, at one time or another, taken shortcuts when it comes to safety. Please remember that the price of repairing or replacing a broken safety device, using proper techniques and equipment, staying focused and being observant of the possible risks as you work may save you from a potentially disastrous injury. Too many of us have learned a hard lesson. Keep safe, talented carvers!
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
January 14th, 2020
Greetings Carvers!
We are glad to welcome new member Sandi Twist to our group and were
happy to see some long absent members at today's carving session. We
missed those who couldn't be with us.
Today's woodburning class included 10 of our carvers and two of our
instructors. Those in the class practiced basic wood burning techniques
using skews, writers and shaders. Patterns were selected and
transferred to basswood and the projects began to take shape. Many
thanks to the instructors for their patient teaching, providing the
needed supplies, and for the well presented handouts. Samples of
Melody Mullis's woodburned pieces were on display for inspiration. Tom
Nickelson demonstrated his technique for pattern transfer on his own
piece. Dick Marshall provided an excellent visual by sharing his carved
California Valley quail, whose feathers were all painstakingly and
realistically burned into the beautiful piece. Woodburning/Pyrography
Class, second session, will again be held next Tuesday in the annex, for
those who are registered.
While the class was being held in one corner, in another corner a video
demonstration of wood carving was shown with many interested carvers
gathered around. At other tables, our talented members were carving
birds, trolls, ornaments, relief and bark carving and more. Walt Ross
displayed his beautifully crafted pens. As always, there was a counter
covered with an assortment of goodies to help keep our strength up!
It was reported that a nice sized group turned out for last Saturday's
session in Paso Robles, with Matt Pomerico instructing on carving knife
blade covers. Dave Osman shared his life-like thumb carving which fit
nicely over his knife blade. Thumbs up, Dave, on a job well done!
Stay tuned for on-going news from our sessions,
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
January 7th, 2020
Happy New Year, Carvers!
We were happy to get back together with our happy, talented group today. We sorely missed those who couldn't be there with us in the annex and wish them safe travels, quick recovery and quality time spent with those who are important to them.
Dave Johnson kick-started our session today with an interesting demonstration on how to make tiny tools using carbon steel rods, a propane torch, a hammer, an anvil and a potato. Dave will gladly give 1:1 tutorials to our members at future sessions.
Upcoming dates:
On Saturday January 11, from 1-4 p.m., Matt Pomerico will instruct any interested carvers in carving a wooden knife cover (see sample photo) at the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum
January 14: We will discuss and schedule our 2020 course calendar
January 14 & 21: Beginning woodburning/pyrography class from 10-2 in the annex *for those carvers who have already reserved their places in the class.
If you have not paid your $10 annual membership dues for 2020, please submit your payment to Tom Nickelson.
All carvers are encouraged to join/renew their membership in the California Carver's Guild. I have the forms if needed. www.cacarversguild.org
Please check in on our own website, managed and updated by Charlie Roberts, at www.centralcoastwoodcarvers.com
Feel free to let me know of items of interest for our carvers, corrections to my emails, or any other pertinent information you'd like to share.
Looking forward to what creations will come from our carvers this year,
Laurie Wright, 2020 Secretary
December 17th
Season's Greetings, Carvers,
We wound down the year with a fairly full annex, with good cheer and enough goodies to keep us full until our next session...in 2020! There was much well wishing, Merry Christmases, Happy Holidays, hugs and HoHoHos shared among the carvers today.
There will be NO carving the next two Tuesdays. Carving sessions will resume on January 7, in St Timothy's annex.
The next carving date at the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum is Saturday, January 11. 1-4 p.m. Matt Pomerico will instruct on carving knife blade covers.
Basic wood burning techniques will be taught (to those who sign up) on January 17 & 24. Instructors are Dot Rygh, Tom Nickelson and Melody Mullis. (see sample photo of wood burning)
Beginning in January, Dave Johnson will teach 1:1 classes on making tools out of drill rods. He will provide the materials needed. Check in with Dave if you're interested.
On March 24 & 31, Dave Johnson will also teach a Pipestone Carving class. The carvers will need to bring supplies including coarse files, a hacksaw blade, a "junk" knife - one that you don't mind taking abuse , and coarse sandpaper (50/100/200 grit). Stay tuned for more information as the dates near.
Roy Case notified us that Daniel's Wood Land, Inc. is looking to hire a woodcarver, $20-$35/hour plus benefits. They are located at 3075 Limestone Way, Paso Robles. 805-239-2832 According to their website they " design, fabricate and install innovative experiences for clients all over the world. Our products include themed cabins and tree houses, shooting galleries, interactive props, themed sets & environments, animatronic characters, playgrounds, and chainsaw carvings." You may have seen the company on their own TV show a few years ago.
Susan Tittle sent me this email: "Please let everyone at the club (know) that 'I wish them and their families a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.' Again you all were an incredible blessing to both my mom (Rose) and pop (Robert Otto). Health and happiness to you all!"
Thanks to Tom Bundy for bringing in wood to share today.
Please pay your 2020 membership dues to Tom Nickelson.
Thanks, and cheers, to each and every one of you from your 2019/2020 officers,
Scot Lang, President
Tom Nickelson, Treasurer
Laurie Wright, Secretary
Central Coast Woodcarvers
Chapter 7 of the California Carver's Guild
See you next year!
December 10th
It was a smaller than usual group in the annex today, but a productive one! Ornaments, figures, bark and pumpkin pie (for those who just haven't had enough in the past few weeks) were carved. Woodburning and chiseling also took place. We missed those of you who were otherwise occupied.
Dot Rygh brought in a scrapbook of our club's activities during its earliest days: so very interesting! Charlie will be adding items of historical interest to the website in the near future. www.centralcoastwoodcarvers.com
Melody Mullis shared her photo album of completed pieces throughout the years. Do you photograph your pieces and save copies? A great idea!!!
Dick Marshall shared a flier from Moore Wood and Roughouts. See attached photo for ordering information. Dick has been happy with their products, especially with a piece they didn't have in stock but roughed out especially for him, and it arrived only 3 days after ordering!
Happy Birthday wishes going out to Ginny Lawliss and to Susie Bishop who celebrate(d) another turn around the sun this week!
There WILL be carving at the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum with Matt Pomerico this next Saturday, December 14, 1-4 p.m. See the attached photo for a preview of this month's project.
Next week's Tuesday session, December 17, will be our last carving session of 2019:-( There will be no carving sessions on December 24 or 31. We'll meet again on January 7, 2020 in the annex:-).
Matt Pomerico will hold 2020's first carving session at the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum, 1-4 p.m., on January 11.
On January 14 and 21, Dot Rygh, Melody Mullis and Tom Nickelson will teach a BEGINNER'S-ONLY WOODBURNING/PYROGRAPHY class, in the annex, from 10a.m. - 2p.m. The club will provide the wood. If you have your own woodburner, please bring it to class. If you don't have a woodburner, you will be loaned one. All participants must sign up on the sheet which will be posted in the annex (or let me know via text or email) , and indicate if you do or do not have a woodburner to use during the class.
If you haven't met the friendly and talented carvers in the attached photos please be sure to introduce yourselves at a future session and get to know them.
Thank you for welcoming me into your Inbox so often,
Laurie Wright, 2019/202 Secretary
December 3rd
Hello Carvers,
Here is a summary of our General Meeting:
Election of 2020 Club Officers: Ray Johnson kindly led a round of applause for 2019 officers. Dave Dignam made a motion to re-elect the current 2019 club officers for office in 2020. The ayes from members approved the recommendation. Your 2020 club Officers are:
Scot Lang, President,
Tom Nickelson, Treasurer
Laurie Wright, Secretary
Annual Dues: your $10 annual dues for 2020 are now being collected by Tom Nickelson, payable at your next carving session or mailed to Tom at 75 Alydar Place, Paso Robles, CA 93446. (If you joined our club after this past September's Woodworking Show your payment is good through 2020) If you are a Life Member, you are exempt.
California Carver's Guild Membership: All Central Coast Woodcarvers are encouraged to join this guild that allows our chapter to exist. In addition to providing our club with insurance, they also offer juried shows, instructional programs, the annual week-long carving event in Oakhurst CA, and information about other clubs and their events. You may peruse their site at www.cacarversguild.org for information and/or to obtain a membership or renewal form (or get a copy from me). The annual dues are $25 per person or $40 for a family membership. We were informed by Scot that our club/Chapter 7 has the highest number of paid members (68) among all of the California Carver's Guild Chapters!
Suggested 2020 carvers classes/events:
-
Gourd carving with Dot, Scot & Brandy
-
Spoon Carving with Jerry
-
Helpful carving tips with Kristen and others
-
Pipestone Carving with Dave Johnson
-
Face Carving. Dave pointed out that face carving is a great challenge to teach to more than one person at a time. Starting to carve faces in clay first was recommended.
-
Pyrography/woodburning with Dot, Melody and Tom N
-
Scot proposed inviting a carving judge to explain the judging process for carved pieces. What they look at in judging pieces (approximately 25 different aspects) can be educational for the carver in his/her future work.
-
Carving Camp Retreat: Dave Johnson's son runs a Christian camp in Heartland, outside of Visalia, at 4000 feet elevation. The camp has facilities available from bare bones camping, to dorms, cabins, hotel type rooms and RV parking as well as kitchen facilities and kitchen staff. There is a small fishing pond on the property, and enclosed rooms for classes. Dave asked if members would be interested in attending a weekend carving retreat next year. Dave's wife, Laura, could also organize a quilters weekend at the same time and location, if there is interest. Dave will research the cost of such an event and will get back to us with more information, as several members indicated an interest.
-
Carver's tool/ supply/product swap meet or sale.
Christmas in July: On behalf of our club, Matt has accepted an invitation by the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum to decorate the museum's year-round tree for the month of July 2020. Matt will provide the wood for our members to carve patriotic pieces for the tree. Please let Matt know if you're interested in carving for the tree so he can prrovide adequate supplies and instruction.
If a non-member of the club is interested in taking a class, they will be asked to pay $10 for the class, which will then give them member status for the following year. They must also sign our club's waiver/indemnity form.
Our chapter voted to allow persons 18 and over to join our club sessions, with several of our carvers volunteering to mentor interested youngsters <18 years of age in the art of carving in private sessions.
Our fees paid to St Timothy's Church for use of the annex ($350/quarter) and provision of coffee ($30)were reviewed. In 2019 our chapter donated $200 to the church's youth program. Dave Dignam suggested that a donation of $300 be paid this year to the church, with our members approving. We appreciate the church allowing us to book the annex every week.
St Timothy's church will soon (very soon? maybe next week? I will hopefully be given a date on Monday) be having a sale to benefit their Women's Guild. Several of our carvers donated pieces for their 2018 sale. Please consider donating something for them to sell this year. Your pieces may be dropped of at the church office, next to the annex.
Suggestions were made about advertising for our club sessions (Tuesdays in Morro Bay and monthly in Paso Robles), such as advertising in the local weekly paper, and posting fliers. Dick will order more business cards for our members to hand out or post.
Kudos to Dick Marshall for chairing a fantastic Woodcarver's Show in 2019! Dick will again chair the show for 2020 but will be asking for more help. Suggestion: please volunteer to help without him having to ask!
There WILL be carving at the Paso Robles Pioneer History Museum on Saturday, January 11, 1-4 p.m., with Matt Pomerico. The 10 of us who attended this month's session there had great fun!
We continue to keep Bob Goss in our thoughts, and are sending wishes for quick healing to Rich and Marilyn.
Don't forget to look us up at www.centralcoastwoodcarvers.com . Thanks, Charlie Roberts, for continuing to update our information and maintaining the site! If you're a new CCW member and haven't asked Charlie to be approved to access the Member ONLY portion of the website, please do so at chasmoes@gmail.com or in person at our sessions.
Please remember to notify me of any changes to your contact information so you don't miss out on the latest news from our chapter. If you feel like you're missing updates, do check your spam or junk folders, and if not finding emails there, let me know.