What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1423880
10 WHAT'S UP! OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 6, 2021 Hidden In The Grain Woodcarvers reveal their magic at annual show BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette I remember walking up to a lady and asking her how can someone like me, someone without any art degree of any kind, begin to carve," Scott Boyle starts his story. "I never carved when I was a kid. I did have a knife, but the only thing I cut was my fingers. "She told me to get a simple coloring book and trace the outline of the picture with a knife instead of a crayon. It's just like those 3-D images that you stare at, and within the colors an image forms right before your eyes!" From that first experience with relief carving, Boyle now makes not just three-dimensional sculptures from wood but also has recently taken up wood turning, creating wine/whiskey bottle stoppers, key chains, bottle openers, bowls and more on a lathe. Arguably, the act of creation is not the biggest attraction to Boyle, however. He says the Sunday meetings of the Woodcarvers of Northwest Arkansas are "the one time I get to spend with my friends and family doing something we all enjoy — sitting together doing a craft we all like." "There is no TV or radio, but there is coffee, snacks, laughter and different colors and shapes of wood chips on tables and on the floor," he says. "Rain or shine we are at the Foxfire building in Rogers, carving — or even wood- burning — a masterpiece." It doesn't hurt that Boyle's wife Pennie is there beside him. She's been carving since she was a 12-year-old in Des Moines and, after a foray into clay sculpture, came back to carving in her late 20s. "After many years I eventually found my own style of woodcarving," she says. "At the carving meetings, we enjoy seeing what each carver is working on and watching their progress," she explains. "It's also a time to get suggestions and input on the process, or help new carvers with instruction from more experienced carvers. [And] cookies and coffee are always a bonus!" Then, when it's time for the Woodcarvers' annual show — which is Nov. 6-7 this year — "my parents, husband and I always seem to have a carving or two to compete against each other." "You know, I have attended several shows lately because of competition "I have trouble carving one style," says Pennie Boyle, a member of the Woodcarvers of Northwest Arkansas. "I work on deep relief carvings, fun caricatures, and woodburning. I get an idea and create my pattern then decide which style it would work best in. I usually have a few research pictures that I use to help me with proportions and layout." (Courtesy Photos) ROGERS FAQ Woodcarvers of NWA Annual Show & Sale WHEN — 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 6 & 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 7 WHERE — Frisco Station Mall in Rogers (use the entrance near Hobby Lobby) COST — Admission is free; art will be for sale INFO — Email Scott Boyle at sdascoot62@hotmail.com FYI — Special guests include judge Danny Rebb from Texas and vendors Bigfoot Carving Tools, Roger Stegall, Loess Hill Sawmill and Working the Grain.