 Hi, I'm Neil Lorenz and I'm here to welcome you to the 21st annual Kettle Carvers Club Carving show and competition. We've got over 40 carvers here today And I'm going to go around and show you and introduce you to many of the carvers and introduce you to their work So let's get inside and explore the show Hello, I'm Neil Lorenz. I'm from Sheboygan. I've been carving for about 14 years and I've my interest in carving has gone from Christmas ornaments to figures to relief carving and I try to do a little bit of carving every day and Like I said my my interest has now been in caricature carving. You can see a number of them here One I finished up this past year is this Fisherman who is ready to get out and do a little fishing for the day I took a class recently where I carved these little caricatures of Jiminy Cricket Here are some of my ornaments that I've done I've also tried my hand at relief carving. This Santa was a weekend class that I took and It I like the effect of having the bark on the outside edges adds a little more interest Our next carver is Tom Julian. He's from Middleton, Wisconsin Tom I see you you're really doing a lot of wildlife carvings. What types of wood do you like to use? It depends on what I'm doing for a fish like that. I like to use basswood For something like this. It's a combination of a bunch of different woods Like this one here is a white pine that was found wood out of my yard interesting the bird body is Tupelo The wings are basswood This is a found piece of wood that I cut up made it look like a stump The basic piece of plywood down here and this sawdust Would just glue okay make it everything right down to the rocks and the leaves are are carved out of wood Everything except this. This is this is actually a metal What type of paint do you use? It depends on what I'm doing if I'm doing a small bird like the birds over there, then I'll often use oils Something like this is all acrylics. Okay, do you find that one type of paint is easier than another to work with? The oil is definitely easier to work with but it's really expensive. Okay interesting How many pieces do you have in the competition today? three Are they all birds or? There's a smallmouth bass Then I do combinations like this and so one's a hila monster with a roadrunner and some young hila monsters coming out of the eggs And then one is a barn owl on top of a rat Interesting. Well, we'll try and catch those when we get up to the competition area. Thank you for talking to us today Our next carver is Greg wurz from Wisconsin Rapids Greg. I see your interest lies in relief carving Yes, I do a quite a bit of relief That's probably the majority and that's what I teach It's called an antagonial style, which is a little different What makes it different? It's where I use the wood as the frame Another relief you carve that back and your picture pops out this way. It's in the The piece carving is into the wood, right? Okay, and it's a very ancient style it is on the pyramids so it's a just another difference that Style I brought back certainly seems that you've perfected the style. I enjoy it. It's fun Do you use different types of finish on this type of work? the finish is pretty much the same I Paint with acrylics and use minwax to seal it a nice seal You say you teach classes all over the state or do you go further than that all over the country? I teach in South Carolina North Carolina all over I Understand you're involved with the International Woodcarver's Congress. Yes, that's centered in Iowa And Betendorf, isn't it? Yes in Betendorf they have the show in Makoka to now at the fairgrounds there and It's one of the premier shows in the country. It is it has a Really nice show plus a lot of classes with top-notch instructors from Canada All over you bring Carver's in from Europe for the show even yes, it's quite a draw Well, thank you for talking about your carvings with us today, and I'm assuming you're in the competition Yes, I am I have three pieces entered excellent So good luck with that. Thank you Our next Carver is Larry Lino Larry. Where are you from? I'm from Sheboygan, Wisconsin And how long have you been carving? Oh? Not that many years actually this is the first year I took our course at Fox Valley Tech and I but I've been doing in Tarza for Maybe ten years. Okay, and every year it gets a little bit better. You know certainly certain techniques change So the the fish that you have here on your table are those from the class or the one that I have From the classes I have been a being judged and this one here. I've started like Five years ago and it was laying around and I took the class and I finally learned some techniques Mm-hmm, and I finished it by me. No, that's sometimes that's how it goes Yeah, I see your other fish here on the table looks like a brook trout brook trout Yes, I carved that quite a few years ago like ten years ago or so when you do a piece like that I see you have a lot of work in those fins. Are those separate pieces or are that all out of one piece? That's all separate separate pieces. Yes. Mm-hmm very nice nice technique on the paint on that Okay, thank you very much as you mentioned In your introduction that you started in to work on in Tarja That's a little different than a lot of what our other woodcarvers and How do you and you must enjoy that quite a bit? Oh, yes I it's quite a process you go through to do it a lot of sawing and shaping and sanding and Time-consuming sure consuming so do the paint on that is very intricate What what techniques do you use there? Well on the bird feeder I painted the cardinal and the Skullfinch and the others is basically all different Textures of wood. Yeah, okay, so you're using a lot of different woods Not a different color and mostly red Western Red Cedar and Some cherry some walnut And that's about it and then this was that the cardinal was red wood But you added a little more color to it and I couldn't get it red enough. So I added a little more color That's right. Well, I'm glad you brought those here today. It's a little different like I said and it offers to the public Get a view of some of the other interesting things that we have at the show very good. Thank you. You're welcome Our next next exhibitor is Peggy Nelson Peggy. Where are you from? I'm from Lake Mills And you have an entire table of wood burning objects. Why don't you tell us a little bit about them? How long have you been doing it? I've been doing it a little over a year Quite new at it then. Yes my dad has come to this show for many years and he passed away a year ago October and I Started it in his tradition took it took a whack at his wood burner. Okay, and and I love doing it Okay, so you're actually using his wood burner then. Yes, that's very nice and Do you do you buy the patterns or do you do your own drawings? Some are my own some are my dad's the little This is my dad. This was his favorite little chickadee. I'm sure it's very nice item some I just get an idea and I go on Google the internet and get it and we have a copy machine at where I work and I just get it to the size I want and mm-hmm and put it on the wood and fill it in Many your items are colored. I I understand that in wood burning You don't really use a pen or brush. You use a different technique. What is that? I use an oil pencil That's what my dad used Are they I'm not real familiar with that do you Sharpen them like a colored pencil in the old days or just like a colored pencil Yeah, only they're a little softer a little more more color and probably a little more permanent Yes, they're more permanent and then I do seal everything too. So the color stays on what type of sealer. Are you using on these? I just use a shellac or is it a polyurethane? No, it's a polyurethane Mm-hmm. Your work is wonderful. Are you entering items in our competition today? Yes, I do have a piece entered It's a gross back on the judging table. Okay. Well, good luck with your your items in the competition and thank you for talking with us today Thank you very much Our next carver is Don Burns Don. Where are you from? I'm from Chippewa. You'd hear it. Okay, and how long have you been carving? I've been carving Dick knows About 15 I say about 15 years and you're a member of the Kettle Carvers That's right, and you've been active in our club for probably most of that 15 years most of that and You've got quite a diverse group of items here. What do you what do you enjoy carving? Well, the sports thing got hot one day. Okay packer packer items and I see you have even a Chicago Bear Clack here and this here is one of the Price classic classic ball in a cage classic. Yes People have been carving those for probably century Everybody has to get one of them in That's very true I'll sharing a table with him is as Dick Jalovnik. You're also from Sheboygan Yes, I am and you've been carving with Don for quite a few years I started shortly before him and he I showed him one of my first projects and It was a little axe. Oh little axe in the stump He saw that he said I like to do that too. So that's how we got started We go to meetings together because our daughters were good friends and Just exploded from that and I try to make things that I don't see in the books like my trophies Are you do a bit of a bit of sports memorabilia as well? I love doing different things. I got pictures of Orcas, okay, I was in Alaska here a couple years ago and my son and So our cause they're the only ones so I took many pictures for okay These pins hearts with the arrow through them, right? I'm that's my wife's there, but she's gone now, but All my children and my grandchildren. They all wanted one. Of course Keeps on going everybody wants one I remember at one of our meetings A few months ago you brought in a ring that you had made I don't I don't see any here today But I would assume that was a rather difficult item to to carve. Oh, I see you have a couple here So they're they're actually like a small almost like a little wedding ring But it tell me is it quite difficult to carve on an object that small and get it that thin Well, you break a lot. I Lot of trial and error You actually drill the hole first. Yeah, these are made out of cherry Okay, drill the hole first and then I have a dowel that I slip them on and then I'll shape them on there And I use sort of a knife or use a rasp Okay, so you're filing away a lot of that wood. I made approximately about 20 Okay for all my all the girls in my family. Okay, I see you have a letter on the top of K on this one So it's for one of my daughters. Her name is Kitty. Okay, Kathleen That's a kind of a unique item that I've never seen anybody else carving. I Started out like this But my daughter says that's a man's ring. Okay, ladies ring. Okay. That's how I went to the dental gentle That well the very unique item and thank you for sharing those with us today Our next carver is Jean Bengal. Where are you from Jean? I am from Oshkosh, Wisconsin And how long have you been carving? 21 years. Oh quite a long time. I see by your table here that You've got a number of large large mammals. Is that an interest of yours to carve? It is I enjoy the animals because I can add and the muscle structure to it and work on fur production Mm-hmm, and then finally the painting is a lot of work Do you wood burn a lot of the hair and get the movement? I do. Yes, yeah after after I carve though and Use a little power to put some of the fur in then I go back and break it up even further with wood burner Okay, what type of painting are you doing? I'm doing acrylics Okay, like like the speed and the ease of working with acrylic right and I don't know Have the odor that I don't care for the sure of the And you've done a little bit of work with birds I see like the Cardinal on here. Yes, I I've done several birds in that this one here was my latest one here and and I like to do birds because I Sort of a bird watcher, okay, I get out there and get some unique ideas from From well, you're familiar with them and you can see them in your own yard great I know from talking with you in the past that you have an interest in caricature carvings, and I see some very nice work here Are these new for new items that you've done? Yes, the the doctor the country doctor there he's knew this year and Had to he just caught my eye and I thought it would be kind of fun And I was also in the medical field so not as a doctor But I think I was in the medical field and I thought I should have that as sort of Piece to finish up your career great No, the feature piece that you have here is this Alpine gentleman. Tell me a little bit about that great. That's a Bavarian mountain climber and it was I did take a class with the Carlin Honaker and It's a Though the figure itself is all one piece. I did add on the lantern and that And I did add a few features on to it such as the wine flask or water flasks And and then a little coil of rope on the back and Very very nice piece. Is it also done in acrylic? It's done in acrylics a wash I use the wash to it and so that I can have some of the woodgreens showing through Very effective very nice work Did you said you traveled to take this course didn't you yes, I this course was taken in Nebraska Crete, Nebraska at the Dorn College Don't they I understand they have a week-long class there every year. Yes, they do it's And they have feature carvers from all over the United States and It's really an exciting adventure actually Well, thank you for sharing your your carvings with us today Jean. Thank you Road in front of the municipal building now and our our chainsaw carver this year's Dave Bartels You can see some of his work. He's got quite a diverse grouping of carvings We can get his attention We'll go up and talk with him Again our featured chainsaw carvers Dave Bartels Dave. Where are you from near shot on Wisconsin? How long have you been chainsaw carving? total about 15 years I See you do a broad base of work from from birds to bears. What what do you enjoy most? Probably the Eagles they sort of connect with them and they've always came out of the wood real easy for me Very nice. What type of wood do you use? Just about anything that grows in Wisconsin most of the ones that I have here today for sale are either white cedar or butternut Looks as though you're you're doing a little bit of burning you use a torch or how do you how do you do that technique? Just a map gas torch like a small Butane torch. Okay, that's a lot of nice texture You said you don't necessarily put a finish on them is that they don't really need the protection I take it Cedar does not it will turn dark gray after a while. So that's I leave it up to the customers Some folks like everything to go natural. There's wanted to secure it as close as they can with the finishes It looks as though the bears are very popular. I we saw some up front. Maybe they're Got him doing different activities like Most thing marshmallows and stuff a little little humor involved in your work. Yeah, there's always a little humor. I most of the carvings are people tell me they have a slight smirk to them. I guess that comes out, but There's a variety from the raccoons Raccoon sell well the bear sell where well and eagles also very popular, but do everything from people's pets to hodags Well, you were certainly are enjoying your work here today and good luck with your sales and We we hope everybody has a nice day here at the show. Thank you for stopping with you Our next carver is wrong Ron Ingan Ron. Where are you from? Sussex, Wisconsin and I see you're a member of the carbon club in that area. Yes, it's the Lake Country Carver's out of Della field. How long have you been a member there? About eight years and you said you've carved for quite a few years 25 or so. Okay, and I've also taken like Instructors about four different instructors. I've had and things like this and I do a little bit of teaching too I've got three guys coming over my house and do some teaching the guy here with me His first carver he's ever done. He's got it in the show today. Oh, excellent Uh, I look it looks as though the majority of your work is is in birds. Yes, it is. I like doing the uh the waterfall and I'm working on a kestrel here. Okay, and uh, and I've also done some bears and stuff like that A lot of power carving I assume on those. Yes Mostly all power carving I do some knife and gouges carvings out of the uh my santa clauses and that And you can also see down here. You got a another unfinished, uh Hen yeah, be a looks like you got it about half wood burned already. Yes I do wood burning and I do also texturing on it Okay, the the paint that you use what are you uh oil or your acrylic type painting? I use mostly all acrylics and uh Some some you can see I just use the just wood burn them and leave a natural with a little natural. Yep. Uh-huh Um I it's very nice display you have with the with the cases. Do you make all those yourself? Yes, I make the cases. I make big ones small ones and just just for the carvings and And the mounts and stuff like that And do you have some items in the competition today as well? Yes, I do. I have a hood of maganser in a competition I'm gonna I'm gonna guess by the quality of your work. You're probably in the master's category Well, I usually do end up renting the blue ribbon in the categories now Well, good luck with today's competition and I'm glad that you took the time to talk with us today Well, this is about the fourth year. I've been here. So I really enjoy the show. I'll be back again. Thank you All right. Our next carver is uh fuel phil hewnick. Where are you from phil? I'm from usberg, wisconsin And how long have you been carving? I've been carving approximately 10 11 years Okay, and you're a member of the kettle carvers. Correct for most of that time. I take it right well the first four years or so I wasn't okay But now you've been a member for a number of years. Yes. Yes We started in on that that Relief carving of santa just a great great work on getting the expression in the faces I imagine that was the most difficult part Yes, uh, I saw something similar to that on a magazine cover and I just wanted to put it to wood So that is what I use some up with you certainly did a nice job of capturing that expression. Well, thank you You've got a large gentleman here. Tell me a little bit about him. Uh, yeah, that is a mountain man Uh, I took a class down in Nebraska with the jeff ferris and I had a Type of wood is that that is butternut. It's laminated. It's cutting About 15 20 pieces and glued together So you don't have to worry about splitting How is that working with butternut? Is it a difficult wood? No, it's not. It's uh, very nice soft wood This particular piece had a few knots in it, but it gave it character. It certainly does. It's a nice nice piece of work Um Looks as though your interest uh Moves over to caricatures. Yes, that is uh, My favorite this first item is a rockwell piece, isn't it? That's right. It's Norman Rockwell Uh, I like I saw it on a magazine cover again I hunt for those types of things, you know, and if I see something that inspires me, I like to go at it The football players are also a rockwell. That's correct. Yeah And uh, that was a lot a very fun piece. That was the first rockwell I ever did Very very very nice Your sport memorabilia care caricatures are are also I'm look to be a favorite. Yes The baseball players are a lot of fun. I've uh had people Come to me. They were a lot. They want some Okay, but uh the manager there in the middle I uh call him Tommy Lasorda before slim fast, even though he has a Metz uniform on It probably brings a chuckle to a lot of people's eyes when they see that correct A number of golfers that you have here as well Yeah, that kind of green vest there. That was my first golfer I ever did and after that I had to do about 40 of them for friends. Wow The uh the female figure is a very nice movement in the skirt Very nice. Uh tough to get that Tough to get that movement movement Not really well there again. Uh, I saw that in a sculptured Piece going through a furniture store once and I I like the way that skirt was flowing and Tried to put it to wood. I guess you get your inspiration from a lot of different locations Thank you for taking the time to talk with us today and hope everybody enjoys the show Right. Our featured carver at this year's show is Paul Tetzla. Paul, where are you from? I'm from Fanlac And uh, you've been carving for how long? Well, I started in the 80s Okay, so you've got quite a number of years in quite a few years and correct I see by the work on your table here. You're predominantly a power carver All I that's all I carve with this power. Okay, and what type of wood do you use? Strictly Tupelo Which I get out of Louisiana Okay, um A little bit of wood burning I take it very little. I do the only thing I burn are the primaries and the tail Okay, tell us a little bit about this kestrel that we have right here Well, um, how long of a project is that to do a piece like that? It usually takes me anywhere from three to four hundred hours Four hundred hours per bird. Okay, and that includes the painting and the finish the whole works And you use a very light wash of acrylic you said, right? I use 90 water 10 paint and just build up the depth with Excessive success of coats layers and layers of paint Beautiful piece of work the hummingbird is a nice little little item as well I you taught a class to a number of the kettle carvers on it, didn't you? Yes, we did we did that Last fall yeah in september Very nice Very nice Tell us a little bit about the piece that you're working on right here today that there is a hen bluebill and Like I like I'm showing here I've got the head attached And I've got all little filler in here to pick up the The imperfections and so on so forth so you fill around that neck where you've drilled those two pieces together, right? And yet you can still car power carve on that wood filler right right and I use generally a it's a 50 50 combination And I just sand it down and carve it I understand you have a couple of items in our competition today. What are those? I have a red tail hawk And a pentail drake They're not done and I haven't completed the judging yet, but good luck with those and Hope you enjoy our show today. Thank you very much. Thank you for taking time to talk with us. Okay. Have a good day Here's a an exhibit of our the items that are up on the judging tables right now Our judges are going through and and inspecting the work and and rating our competition We've got a lot of items in different categories from from birds and wildlife to to still life items These items are in the advanced category multiple groupings Here's a nice Santa that old world santa that was done in the also in the advanced human figure category One of the thank everybody for attending our show the 21st annual kettle carvers artistry and wood You