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| Ol Don Burgdorf As an art major in high school Ol' Don came across some lithographs by the Montana cowboy-artist Charles M. Russell who painted the life he lived in the 1890s and early 1900s. This exposure was to launch an interest into the history of the Westward expansion and it's personalities. Seeing the works of New York artist-historian Frederic Remington and other turn of the century artists who documented the opening of the West added fuel to the fire. His interest in the working cowboy and the Native American cultures has lasted over 40 years and has been the inspiration for many of his paintings and carvings. In June of 1999 he retired and is now devoting all his available time to his art interests—Painting, drawing, carving and most recently, traveling and teaching at wood carving events. Web site: www.artofdon.com |
| Bonnie Graser My love of wood led me to work with Rick Reeves who is pretty well known for his spinning wheels, tho I did mostly bowl turning for him. I painted pictures and did many other crafts for years and then started carving in 89 when my Dad wanted company to take a carving class. I got thoroughly hooked! I have had 4 or 5 of my carvings pictured in Chip Chats National Carving Magazine and have even done a few commissions. My first love was and probably still is relief but a close second is chip carving which I took up a few years down the road. I’ve taught classes for my NE Iowa Carving club, for Woodcraft Shop store in Tucson (near where we winter) and at the GOW. I have done several “commissions” now and do a lot of ornament and jewelry as well as boxes and desk name signs that I sell. Web site: http://pere.org/bgraser/ |
| Chris Howard Chris was born the son of an Native American Mother in the shadows of the Great Smoky Mountains where music and art are a way of life. He began carving wildlife and soon graduated into realistic sculpting which is now his specialty.While in Europe, he studied design and visual art. Chris loves the freedom sculpting gives him. Capturing the complexity of the human face with expression can be seen from his smallest to the full life size sculptures. You will know Chris when you meet him with his warm southern manner, long hair, white cowboy hat and an accent that testifies of his mountain upbringing. Web site: www.gatlinburg-artist.com/index.html |
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| Floyd Rhadigan Floyd entered the world of woodcarving in 1970, with the help of a family friend, Smokey Joe Briemuiller. He was one of those characters who fascinated Floyd as a child. He carved small animals, Indians and Hill People. Floyd began to teach his style of carving in 1976 for the city of Mt. Clemens, MI Adult Education Program. He moved to Warren, MI and started to teach for the Warren Parks & Rec. Dept. In 1991, he moved to Saline, MI where he started teaching a weekly class and began participating in wood carving shows around the state, As his work became known, the teaching increased and Floyd started to teach at major woodcarving seminars. Floyd to won Best of Show in the 2005 CCA Carving Competition. The biggest honor in his career was to become a member of the Caricature Carvers of America. Web site: www.fantasycarving.com |
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| Jim Byrne is a teacher with a strong interest in traditional tools, designs, and carving methods, with a particular interest in woodenware with Celtic or early American roots. He prefers “coaching” carving, as opposed to formal instruction, and his classes include informal instruction in the historical background of designs and uses of the objects being carved. The goal is for each student to be successful and have fun in a relaxed class. Most of the projects he teaches require very few tools, usually just a sharp knife and a single gouge. His “love spoons” are miniature in size, rarely longer than eight inches in length, and his walking sticks and canes are intended to be attractively functional, useful aids on the trail or around town. |
| Mike Harmon has been carving for over 15 years. Primarily working on people studies - caricatures, busts, santas, wizards, etc. Mike received most of his early carving experience while living in Nebraska and Colorado. He has won blue ribbons at shows in Denver, Omaha, Topeka, Sioux City, Waterloo, and more recently at the North surban Carvers' show in Wheaton. Currently you can see some of his work on display at the Geneva Historical Museum's Gift Shop in downtown Geneva. His style is primarily realistic using gouges and a natural finish or stain although the subject matter varies. He has taught Indians, frontiersmen, female faces, nudes and of course, santas. He was with us in 2006, teaching a Friday class in butternut of a female torso. His classes are intermediate to advanced with plenty of discussion about design and structure, not just technique. Mike currently resides in Geneva, Ill. with his toughest critics - wife, Lisa and son, Alex. Bring knives, gouges and lots of energy as his classes are always full and ambitious. |
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| Grandpa Dave has been carving for many years. He has studied with Harley Refsal several times. Dave teaches adult evening classes at Libertyville High School and has also taught at The Clearing and Boulder Junction. This is Grandpa Dave's fifth year at the GOW. |
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| Bob Mau enjoys carving faces, He finds it amazing to watch a face emerge out of a block of wood. Bob has been carving since 1979. He teaches classes at Woodcraft, various park districts around the Chicago area, and the annual Gathering of Wood Carvers in Somonauk Illinois. He still works a full time job in the day and Carving is not just a hobby but a relaxing passion. Most students in any class will Remember only 25 % of what they hear the first time they take a class. This class we will be carving a study stick on carving parts of the Face . You will leave the class with a step by step reminder of carving eyes. The study stick should enable you to remember the basic steps to carving long after the class is over. In addition the 2nd part of the class will be blocking out the face which includes putting in the nose preparing the dental area, and preparing the eyes. |
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| Jan Oegema came to Canada in 1950 from the Netherlands. He started chipcarving on his own in 1972 on and off. In 1989, he got involved with the Bowmanville Woodchip Club, and there was no looking back.Jan is a member of the National Wood Carvers Association, as well as:,Ontario WCA ,Bowmanville Wood Chips ,Northumberland WCA ,Brooklin WCC ,Quinty WCA Jan carves almost everything ...... anything but "birds"He has taught at Past Gow’s, wood carvers rendezvous inBranson Missourri forand the Wooodcarvers congress in Davenprt Ia. His class ar fun and have a tendecy to fill quickly. To see some of his work check out his web site at http://www.janscarvingstudio.com/ |
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| Anton (Tony) Erickson, was born in New Boston, New Hampshire and attended The Boston School of Architecture and later, Foundation College for Graphic Arts in San Diego, CA. Tony carves commissioned pieces and instructs at various carving roundups and carving clubs throughout the USA. Tony doesn’t use patterns nor pictures but instead encourages his students to use their imagination to create new and original pieces by teaching Gnome Homes and Other Places of Distinction. No words can describe the projects that his students will carve and it is highly recommend that you look at his web site at www.woodakoodashooda.com His classes are fun and students will walk away with carvings that are sure to please. Tony along with his wife Lucille host the Suwannee River Woodcarvers Roundup in Florida. Web site: www.woodakoodashooda.com |
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| Joe Dillett, Master Carver, artist and owner of The Carving Shop in Somonauk Illinois is a traditional carver using old-world tools producing architectural hand carved art for businesses, churches and homes. He has been in business for 37 years producing one of a kind art, teaching and promoting the art of woodcarving. His customers typically wait 5 years to have their family history carved into a fireplace mantel. His work is all over the country as will as in other countries. He currently has 7 apprentices in their fourth year of their apprenticeship program. Joe writes the “Ask Joe” column in Carving Magazine published by All-American Crafts and is honored to have his shop used for the GOW. Web site: www.thecarvingshop.net |
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| Sally and David Nye are world renowned for their determination to preserve fan-carving. This Old World folk art is the process of riving long-fibered wood and then fanning it to create a three-dimensional design. The most common design is the fan bird. It is also known on the European continent as the bird-of-inspiration or the dove-of-peace. Fan-carving is almost a lost art. The Nye’s became captivated by the fan bird when they saw one in the 1990’s. Thus, began their extensive research that has taken them through much of Europe and Scandinavia. By working with universities and museum curators, they found that fan-carving dates back to the 1600’s. In some parts of Europe, fan-carving is so lost that the Nye’s find themselves in the unique position of teaching these people their own heritage about the fan bird. |
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| Gene Westerberg grew up in a family of Swedish wood carvers, and started whittling with a pocket knife at an early age. He is a graduate of Northern Il. University and taught high school shop and art, together with special education until retirement. He also taught bird carving to adults in continuing education classes starting in 1988 to the present. His inspiration comes from nature: first hand study of dozens of species He has observed in Brown County, at home in Sandwich and whenever his travels take him. H have won numerous awards at shows and art fairs, and his work has been purchases by collectors in several countries as well as all over the U.S Hnow exhibit and sell through the Brown County Craft Gallery and in the DeKalb Gallery as well as my studio at home. http://community.webshots.com/user/birdcarvergene |
| John Susin is an award-winning carver who specializes in Santas and caricatures. Some of his larger Santas have kaleidoscopes built into their bodies, making them a holiday ornament which is both a delight to see and to play with. He was a state winner in the Woodcraft Santa competition and his Santa trio graced the front and back covers of Chip Chats, which has published feature articles on his work. John is a highly successful teacher whose goal is for every student to complete a project worthy of becoming a family heirloom. |
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| Gordon Sorensen has had the luxury of carving for about eleven years. In that time he has taken a number of different classes from a number of well-known instructors. Of all the things he carves, he like's working on relief carving and fish carving. He has been attending the GOW since the second one and has never gone away without new friends & lots of new ideas. He is a member of the National Wood Carvers Assoc. and the Mich. Woodcarvers Asso. |
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| Mel's bio - coming soon |
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| Cal is from Slinger, WI, and spends his winters in Arizona. He initially became interested in woodcarving about 18 years ago when he wanted to use carving as a means to decorate furniture. Woodcarving soon became his main interest, and it was only about 2 years ago that he finally decorated several furniture pieces with carving. Cal has taught at woodcarving clubs in Wisconsin, Florida and Arizona and at various seminars around the country including the Texas Woodcarvers Guild’s spring seminars, War Eagle, Arkansas’s annual seminar, and Evart, Michigan’s Woodcarvers Roundup. Cal is active in several carving clubs and is always ready to help new carvers get started. |
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| Sharon C. Bechtold – Pyrography Instructor As a third generation artist Sharon grew up around a variety of materials, tools and the encouragement that have been instrumental to her development. After completing studies in commercial art, fine art, and photography, Sharon worked as a graphic designer in the family business. Since 1988 she has taught art both at the college level and children’s classes. During the last 7 years she has devoted herself exclusively to Pyrography, developing her own unique style, based on renaissance art principles, in order to render a highly realistic image with emotion. Her passion lies not only in creating art but in sharing what she learns and inspiring others to join her in the exciting journey that this art form provides. Her teaching approach is highly personalized encouraging her students not only to learn the methods but to find their own “voice” so that their art reflects their unique personality. |
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