Jim Smith with some of his woodcarvings
Jim Brown
Jim joined the PebbleCreek Woodcarving Club during the summer of 2024. In a roundabout way Jim moved to PebbleCreek from Tijeras, N.M., which is just east of Albuquerque. It was roundabout because Jim and his wife tried the retirement gig in Mexico for two years before landing in PebbleCreek.
Jim had an interesting working life, spending time in the oil and gas business, working for Core Labs, and as a high school teacher of computer technology and science. Some of the subjects he taught included Cisco networking, Python programming, biology, chemistry, and physics. Jim also spent four terms as a state representative in the New Mexico legislature and one year as a county commissioner.
Since joining the club, Jim has been busy carving all sorts of projects. He carved both beginner projects, a spoon and a stylized Kachina. He then took the class carving a robin and followed that by carving an angel fish. Jim then moved on and carved a traditional Kachina along with working on two intarsia projects. Intarsia woodworking is the art of creating a mosaic-like picture from pieces of wood. Different species of wood are selected for their color and cut to size using a scroll saw. The woodworker can create an illusion of depth by carefully selecting the grain pattern and direction of each individual piece.
Please join me in congratulating Jim on this deserved recognition.