woodcarving is one of the oldest art and craft forms in the world.For me it began in cardiff city,wales, in 1988,
a neighbour of mine at the time gave me some chinese carving tools and two peices of soft wood,white deal if i remember correctly.I carved two heads not unlike those on easter island,this triggered my interest in woodcarving.Up until then my interest was in art, painting, drawing, even signmaking.When i came home to ireland,i worked at various jobs until in 1990 i joined the P.D.F.,permanent defence forces,(irish army),i found i had no time for art in this job,but apart from that,ones thinking changes,and i began to have a creative death.I left the P.D.F. in 1991,discharge by purchase after almost two years of service.I moved to galway city in the west if ireland after my discharge and was there only a week when i picked up the galway advertiser newspaper and came across an ad for woodcarving classes,the classes were held in the galway craft centre,run by yoram drori,master craftsman.the craftcentre is long closed,it was in the old malt mall.
the course was ten weeks long,two and a half hours a week.The first six weeks were made up of carving exersices getting more complex as the weeks went by,and the final four weeks were a project,to produce a carving of your choice from patterns available
on the course.after the course the students projects were exibited in the eyre square centre.Yoram took me under his wing after the course and trained me as a teacher and also trained me in running the centre when he was called away.Yoram is an israeli and sometimes went on holidays there and would leave me to run the craft centre,which i did.My course ended in early 1992,and i began to research and develop carving skills myself,i began to teach myself how to sculpt wood,work out problems with visual mathemathics etc.
buying tools bit by bit,woodcarving books,when you have to do things on your own,its more appreciated.
Twenty years on (2012),i could call myself a master artistcraftsman, and still in love with the art and craft of woodcarving,its something that anyone with an interest could take up.
4 comments:
Hi Jim I am looking for a wood carver to do a job for me in Co. Galway at Pathfinders Holistic Centre
Hi Jim - It was a pleasure to meet you and to chat with you yesterday at the farmers' market in Boyle.
I'd love to see some of your pieces - are you exhibiting anywhere?
Like yourself, I will be painting (watercolour is my favourite, along with my love for Celtic knotwork, spirals and zoomorphics) until 'the end'.
Chatting with you yesterday, and now finding your blog and throroughly enjoying reading all about how your creative journey began, you've re-inspired and re-ignited my very first creative love - which was woodcarving - and I want to try my hand at it again. I still actually have my very first woodcarving from when I was a kid - next time we meet at the market, I'll tell you about it.
How 'bout uploading and posting some of your work on your blog, then? I'd love to see your work. And do you still teach woodcarving anywhere? I'd really love to take it up again.
Great to see you again today at the farmers' market, Jim, and to spend a bit more time chatting with you.
I look forward to chatting with you again, the next time you're visiting the market. We didn't have enough time this time 'round, so hopefully, next time.
And thanks, too, for the special gift of music you gave to both of us. It was and is very thoughtful and generous of you to do that.
See you again, and look after yourself.
June
nice post!!! we have this post of our shop. you can visit of of our site.visit woodcarvingarts.webs.com
Post a Comment