Article Contributed on: 10/2/2009 8:33:08 AM
Woodcarvers from around the country will join pro and novice members of the Colorado Carvers Club at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds Oct. 10 and 11 during the annual show and sale.
Everything from wood sculptures to miniatures and walking sticks will be on display. Information about classes, tools and supplies also will be available. Local members of the nonprofit carving club will present their work and oversee judging of individual pieces.
Golden resident and CCC president Jim Bane anticipated a crowd of from 1,200 to 1,500 at the two day show.
"Mostly we draw from the Metro area," Bane said.
Bane, who has been carving for years and specializes in caricatures, said there are several divisions that will be judged at the show.
"Anything you can imagine can be carved in any size," he said.
Bane said he probably spends four to five hours a week working on his woodcarving projects.
"But there are people who do it constantly and what some people don't realize is how many women and youngsters are interested in the craft," Bane said.
Golden resident Polly White said she got the woodcarving bug 30 years ago at a Denver Free University class and took it up again seriously six years ago.
"We have one of the most active clubs in the country with ongoing monthly classes. We have an open carving time where people can bring in projects, but it's really a social event," White said.
White said a misconception about the craft is that it takes too long to do a piece. She said a person could do a bird in a couple hours.
"When people leave with a finished product, it makes them want to continue," White said.
White works with aspen to make walking sticks and also uses cottonwood bark. She continues to take classes to learn how to use different tools and to learn how to keep the tools sharp. She said for her the art is a stress reliever and she enjoys the straightforward camaraderie that exists among members.
White said some members carve toy cars that are donated to children's wards in
Denver hospitals. More than 500 cars were delivered to hospitals last year.
Another popular activity is helping Boy Scouts attain their merit badges.
Littleton resident Bonnie Douglas said she enjoys classes at the Malley Center in Englewood. Her specialty is carving rabbits, horses and chipmunks, which are usually 12 inches or smaller made of basswood, Tupelo and butternut. Her tool collection includes a Dremel and a Foredom, which she uses at classes and at what she called her "baby workshop" at home.
"Mostly I carve at class and take a lot of workshops," Douglas said.
"When I started five years ago I didn't think I would be able to do what I am doing now," she said.
White said she has invested in a wood-carving chain saw to make use of the beetle kill wood on her Bailey property and is working on carving six-foot bears.
The Colorado Carvers Club will judge and display their work from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 10 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 11 at the woodcarving show open to the public at Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 15200 W. 6th Ave., Golden.
CCC meetings are held the second Sunday of each month at 1 pm at the Maple Grove Grange Hall, 3130 Youngfield Ave., Wheat Ridge. Open carving and instructional carving is held on the second Sunday of each month, from 9 to 11:30am. For more information, call Bane at 303-232-7510. For information about ongoing classes, visit www.coloradocarvers.org.