The Blackhawk Woodcarver

Volume XXIV, Issue 10,  October 2017

Presidents Report

My Clubs Questionnaire

 This month I would like to refer to an old copy of an Club Directory Questionnaire that I found as I was looking thru some of my collection of club stuff.

 This Club Directory Questionnaire was given to me around 2010 shortly after I joined the club. Its intent was to provide information for the Club Directory to help each of us connect names with faces and to include a little information about each member so we can know each other better.

 Name & Address - Jerome Mais 4707 Cleveland Ave., Rockford Il. 61108.

 Spouse & Phone - Paula 815-398-7904

 How did you get started carving? - and when? What were your first pieces? - First exposed to carving in the Boy Scouts in the mid 50’s. First pieces - Neckerchief slide, Mallard Duck head, Mallard duck decoy and a gear shift knob for my first VW.

 What year did you join Blackhawk Woodcarving Club? - 2009.

 What prompted you to join the Club? - Retirement.

 What subjects, or types of carving do you do? Which do you enjoy the most? - Like In-the- Round carving: I like to carve Shore Birds and Ducks, but I will try anything - at least once.

What wood(s) do you carve, - prefer? - I have tried anything I can find. I enjoy working with Basswood.

 Do you have a favorite tool (why)? - Don’t have many good carving tools yet. I will use anything that will remove wood.

 Is there one particular carving of which you are the fondest, proudest? - A life

sized Canadian Goose that I did for my father and a Humming Bird in a setting that I did for my mother.

 What other activities do you like to do besides carving? - Love doing creative projects with my four grand children. Enjoy using my Scroll Saw and doing a little wood turning.

 Any other comments you may wish to add? - My wood carving interests were rekindled through the Rock Valley CLR wood carving classes taught by Gordy Moscinski, Don Stansfield and Roger Benedict. I really enjoy the Blackhawk Carving Club. Its members are great people, friendly and willing to offer help when needed.

 Its interesting to look back and see how some things were and how some things have changed over the years. Its been great to be a Blackhawk wood Carver and realize all the things I have accomplished and learned.

So --- Let the chips fly and see you at the club !

Jerome Mais

Blackhawk Carving Club

P. O. Box 8285 Rockford, IL 61126
Open Carving every Wednesday (8:30-11am).  Ken Rock Community Center (Sacred Heart Academy, Multi-purpose room) 3218 Eleventh St, Rockford, IL 61109.  Business Meeting; third Wednesday. of the month.
Friends and spouses of carvers are especially welcome to come to meet and visit. Carvers bring in finished carvings for “Show & Tell.”

Club Activity Schedule

October 4 open carving
October 11 open carving
October 18 open carving and meeting
October 25 open carving

November 1 open carving
November 8 open carving
November 15 open carving and meeting
November 22 open carving
November 29 open carving

December 6 open carving
December13 Christmas Gathering (see below)
December 20 open carving and meeting
December 27 open carving

January 3 open carving
January 10 open carving
January 17 open carving and meeting
January 24 open carving
January 31 open carving

Eyeglass holder Class

Denny Neubauer will be teaching a class at our regular carving meeting on carving eyeglass holder’s during the month of October. 

You have a choice of a goony bird or a Dragon. The wood was donated to the club so there will be no charge.

 

Capital Area Carvers of WI

29th Annual CACW Show & Sale Abundant Life Christian School 4901 E. Buckeye Rd, Madison, WI. October 22, 2017. 9:00 to:400pm

Metro Carving Weekend

Metro Chapter of the Minnesota Wood Carvers Association at The Fridley VFW #363, 1040 Osborne Road, Fridley, MN 55432.  November 11&12, 2017

 

October Birthdays  (that we Know of)

    6   Nordine Bolstad
   6   Herb Page
   9   Tony Devita
   9   Carrie Lay
  10   Judie Suit
  11   William Shogren
  14   Carol Behning
  17   Mary Wilder
  29   Jack Basford

 

Deadline for the news for the next newsletter is November 1, 2017.

 

Blackhawk Carving Club Minutes September 2017

Minutes of the regular monthly business of Blackhawk Woodcarvers; held on Sept 20 2017 at 3218 Eleventh Street, Rockford, Illinois.

Jerome Mais opened the meeting at 9:02. 

Steve Terrill read the Minutes of the previous meeting that were taken by Tyrone Johnsen.  The minutes were approved as read.

John Skaggs was out of town so there was not a financial report read for the last month.  Jerome’s review of his written report seems reasonable.  We are solvent,

Dona Wisner reported on Petty Cash and we continue to have enough money to buy cookies. 

Chuck Drewes had nothing to report on membership. 

Old Business:  Jerome reported that Don Stansfield brought in more Basswood from a former woodcarver and there is a sign-up sheet if you want some of that brought in for your own use.  Don will not be bringing in other pieces of Basswood unless you make a request to him.

Frank Lay had some basswood rounds announced at the last meeting but he was not available for this meeting.

Gary Lundquist told Jerome that there were people who attended the Mid Town Ethnic Festival and helped with soap carving.  The attendance by spectators was down some this year and Gary will discuss later whether we continue to provide soap carving at that event.  Arne supported that Dona and Todd did a fine job at that soap carving and deserve blue ribbons. 

New Business: Jerome has created a carving project that he will distribute at the end of the meeting.  It is a carving of a small ghost.  Carve it, paint it and sign it and bring it to the meeting on Sept 25 for Show and tell. 

Jerome thanked carvers for bringing in old carvings. 

The meeting was closed at 9:22. 

Respectfully Submitted

Steve Terrill, Secretary

Club Officers       (815 area code)
President - Jerome Mais,  398-7904
Vice Pres. - Tyrone Johnsen, 397-9274
Treasurer - John Skaggs, 547-6951
Secretary - Steve Terrill,  708-0471

 

Committees   (815 area code)
Photographer - Larry Clark, 262-9982
Membership  - Chuck Drewes, 985-8575
Librarian - Bernie Budzynski
Petty Cash - Dona Wisner
Webmaster and  Newsletter Editor- Gordy Moscinski, 874-7978
Newsletter Publisher, Gary Johnson 399-1697
Historian - Elaine Terrell 765-2886
Programs - Bob Matthews 544-2359 & Denny Neubauer 515-508-9524
Picnic - Gary Lundquist
Soap Carving –Gary Lundquist

Passed Treasured Carvings

Again, as a reminder, I would like to have our club members start bringing in along with regular SHOW and TELL items, some of your carvings that you have treasured from the past.  We all have carvings packed away or setting on a shelf that no one has seen for years except our spouses.  I will have an extra table set up so we can show our favorites on the Wednesdays that we have our meetings!

Jerome Mais

Door Prizes

Don't forget the Door Prize drawing on First Wednesdays. Bring something you don't need or want anymore, but know someone would be thrilled to win at the drawing.

Tips and Tricks    Jigs and Twigs

Many of you have  figured out some easy or unique way of helping out your carving.  For example,  using a red pen when transferring a pattern on to the wood so you can see where you have drawn.

Send me some of your tips.  Pictures would help show it even better.

Gordy Moscinski 

The Blackhawk Club Christmas Gathering.

Its time to start to plan ahead for our annual Blackhawk Wood Carvers Club Christmas Holiday Social.

 This years Christmas Social will take place at the Clubs normal meeting place at the Ken Rock Community Center on Wednesday December 13, 2017. At 9:00 AM.

　It is open to the Blackhawk Wood Carvers Club Members and their spouses. You must pre-register and indicate what you will be bringing during the November Club meetings. Note - you will need to have pre-registered to be allowed to attend the Social.

 There will be tables available for use of Members who wish to display some of their carvings. Members will need to pre-register to show their carvings so that there will be enough tables available.

 Finger Type Foods will be provided by you the Club Members. The sign up sheet will provide a place to list the food you plan to bring. This listing will help to provide a idea of the food that will be available.

The Club will provide Coffee, Juice, Water.

 This is a Free Social so lets all plan to attend and prepare to have a good Holiday Social. Jerome Mais

 

Midtown Ethnic Festival

Blackhawk Woodcarvers again provided support for Soap Carving at the Midtown Ethnic Festival on Sunday August 27.  Tod and Dona Wisner helped with organizing and getting volunteers for two shifts, 1-2pm and 2-4pm.  Volunteers included Tod and Dona Wisner, Tony DeVita, Arne Larsen, Denny Neubauer and Steve Terrill.  We served 27 carvers during the 4 hours.  It was nice to have enough volunteers so that no one person was swamped with helping new soap carvers get started.  It ended up a nice day and volunteers and carvers alike had a good time. 

Submitted by Steve Terrill

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.

Art is knowing which ones to keep.

Show and Tell pictures by Larry Clark and comments by Steve Terrill

 

 Bob Matthews brought an owl on a stump. 

 

Jerome Mais showed a carved miniature cowboy from Basswood and painted that he did in 2010.  He also displayed a kicking mule animated toy that he made and painted in 2012.

 

Denny Neubauer showed a carved and painted and carved and painted dragon that are both glasses holders.  They both can be made from the same cutout.  These were samples for the class that he will hold in October.  There will be no charge.  Don provided the wood and Denny cut out the blanks.

Larry Stenzel showed a woodburning of a Cow’s butt looking backward over her shoulder at whomever was staring at her butt.  It is burned on Birch Plywood. 

 

Tony DeVita showed what looked like a short carved pipe but is actually a holder for a cigarette inserted under the pipe in a cut out so it actually looks like you are smoking a pipe. 

 

Jerome Mais showed “Mocha Mary, his new project for this year, a figurine of a European looking lady with a broom and holding a cup of java.  It is out of Basswood and painted. 

 

Don Stansfield brought in a Triptych of a nativity scene that will be the model for the class he starts at the Center For Learning in Retirement tomorrow.    

 

Louie Jurish brought in a flower carving in relief to prove that he learned something in the relief carving class.  It is basswood with a stippled background.

 

Bob Coleman brought in his bust carving of an Indian from a Basswood Log.  He painted and dyed the carving using a mixture of vinegar with steel wool dissolved in it.  He woodburned the eyes to bring them out. 

 

Todd Wisner brought in a modern art carving he inherited from Africa.  He also brought in one of his first projects, a pair of mallets that were hand carved and fitted with turned handles. 

 

Bernie Budzynski brought in a panel that is a skyline of Chicago burned in to the letters of the city.  He also brought in a gourd with a hinged lid and a miniature characted made also of gourds and carrying signs that say Smile and Hi to all.