Jeannette McElroy of the Woodcarvers Club

Jeannette McElroy is one of many accomplished woodcarvers in the PebbleCreek Woodcarvers Club.

In January 2004 a friend told Jeannette that he needed something to do in the mornings and he had joined the PebbleCreek Woodcarving Club. Jeannette thought that this was interesting but was afraid that she did not have enough strength in her hands to carve with a knife. Her friend told her that most of the carvers used a small powered rotary tool with burs to carve and it did not require a lot of hand strength. She visited the club and saw there was an upcoming class given by Monte Curtis on carving an American Indian Bust. She liked the bust so she signed up for the class. When she arrived at the first class session she found out this was not a beginners project but she went ahead with the class and produced a beautiful carving.

Jeannette has since completed many more carvings and found that she also likes to use knives, gouges and chisels along with a rotary tool. She says she is a slow carver and likes to take her time on each project. She usually completes the project after the class, but she enjoys the process and does not feel rushed. She prefers carving Northwest Indian items but has completed a wide range of carvings.

Jeannette has served as the Woodcarvers Club Secretary since February 2005. This carving season she is teaching a class on wood burning. Wood burning is used to add texture and detail, such as feathers on a bird, to wood carvings. The wood burning lines can be seen through thin layers of paint and make the carving look much more realistic. It can also be used instead of paint to create a finished surface much like a monotone picture.

The Woodcarvers Club meets in the Quail Room in the Creative Arts building on the Tuscany side of PebbleCreek. The club has general meetings on the second Tuesday of each month at 9:00 a.m. from October to April. Formal classes started in October and many classes are full, but if you have an interest in learning to carve contact Joel Hawkins via email at [email protected] or stop by the Quail Room and there will usually be someone there to get you started. Carving equipment is available for use during your first two classes to see if you like carving. So stop by the Quail Room and see what you can create from a block of wood.