Waupaca woodcarvers host event
By James Card
The Waupaca Area Woodcarvers hosted their first event on Sunday, Nov. 6 at the Waupaca Recreation Center.
It was the 2022 Artistry in Wood Show, Competition and Sale. It marks the group’s entrance on the state and national stage.
There are woodcarving groups all over the country but it’s not until a group hosts its own competitive event that it shows it has matured into a serious hobbyist group.
Upon retirement, Harold Mohr had a bucket list. One: starting a woodcarving club in Waupaca. Two: have that club host a carving show. He now has both checked off.
In the gymnasium, there were 67 tables at the event composed of carvers, woodcrafters and vendors. There was steady traffic throughout the day and many people in the community walked the aisles.
Carvers came from all over Wisconsin, some from Minnesota and Rich Weatherby, a master caricature carver from Colorado, was also hosting classes for club members.
Mohr says the club intends to host the event every year in the future, always the first weekend in November, same time and place.
They also held multiple raffles of sculptures and woodcarving tools and books. Awards were given out in various categories.
Steve Noll took the Best of Show blue ribbon for his carving of a largemouth bass positioned against a piece of driftwood and lurking under a couple lily pads.
Workshops
Throughout the day workshops were held in the Abraham Court.
Mohr did a presentation on fish carving and as models he pulled a fresh bluegill and a yellow perch from a Coleman cooler. It was to demonstrate how to capture the lifelike details of fish anatomy.
Ray Claussen offered a workshop on bird carving and there was another one on wood burning.
Outside were two areas for demonstrating chainsaw carving: Ken Milbrandt of KC Carvings and Crafts and Garret Wendlandt of New Leaf Sculpture & Design spent the day sculpting wood and making sawdust.
The club started in 2013 with nine members. It has 35 members now. They meet every Wednesday morning in the front lobby area of the Rec Center at 8 a.m. and carve until they break up around noon. Adults are welcome but not children because of liability concerns of handling razor-sharp knives.
“The best thing to do if somebody wants to start carving is to stop in on a Wednesday morning and see us. I always have plenty of tools. Sit down, I’ll give you a block of wood, I’ll give you a knife and let’s see what you can come up with,” said Mohr.