Every Thursday afternoon, a diverse group of individuals get together to talk about wood and carving. The Bella Vista Wood Carvers are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year with several new members.
Every member was working on their own project at the first meeting of 2017, but some of the veteran members didn't bring a project. Instead, they were available to answer questions and give advice.
About half the club's 40 members were at that meeting. While the club used to be much bigger, it's a still a healthy group, President John Brach said. The club owns some tools to lend to the beginners, he said.
They recruited some members at the Farmer's Market and the craft fairs this summer, Brach said.
Betty Chermak saw the Woodcarvers booth at the Spanker Creek Craft Fair, but it wasn't the carving that interested her, it was the wood burning.
"I thought it looked interesting," she said. She went to one meeting, then bought her own wood burning tools. It wasn't a big investment, she said. There's a small black box that supplies the electricity and a set of tips that allow her to "draw" on wood. But before burning the wood, she first finds a picture to trace onto the wood. Although the set of tips includes about 100, she only uses about five of them. The various types give different width lines, allowing her to change the shade of the burn.
"People don't appreciate the amount of time that goes into a piece," Darrell Cox said. After 16 years, he's one of the longest-term members, but he doesn't sell his work very often because no one will pay him enough to cover his time. Cox said his wife is also a member, but -- like Chermak -- she prefers wood burning to carving.
A few seats away, Steve Munch's tool is carving a chipmunk, an eagle and a tree stump. He saw the Woodcarvers at the Farmer's Market.
When he first moved to Bella Vista, he golfed all winter, Munch explained, but after a few years he realized that he wasn't enjoying golf in the cold weather -- so he cut back. That left him with extra time on his hands.
"I used to build birdhouses," he said. All he had to purchase was a knife and a block of wood. After about 20 hours, the animals and the tree trunk are recognizable, but he still has detail work to complete.
The club does some carving projects together, Brach said. They've been working on a full-size totem pole as a group. They may eventually raffle it.
They also visited the the Amazeum in Bentonville and taught a lesson in soap carving.
"They loved it," Jean Visnich said about the children who participated.
General News on 01/11/2017