---- Chris Pye: WOODCARVING - NEWSLETTER ---- July 2005 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com "Dedicated to the teaching, learning and love of woodcarving" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is an opt-in newsletter and you should only be receiving it because you requested it from the website, or were sent it by a friend. Subscribe or Unsubscribe easily on the home page here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/ or using the link at the end of the newsletter. ****Back issues here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/intro/pastnews.html including zipfiles for 2001, 2002 & 2003, 2004 newsletters ============================================================ Hello Everyone! If you enjoy this newsletter and it's helped with your carving, please pass it on or recommend it to other carvers. Thanks! CONTENTS: I'm in the throes of moving house and workshop so this newsletter will tend to be a little minimal for a while. My email address remains constant for all those who know me. If you are short on reading matter, do have a look at past issues! Link above. 1. Learning to Carve II Part 4: 'Learning by Doing' Website Bookmarks at the end. List of Slipstones Woodcarving Manuals Teaching Dates ________________________________________________ 1. NEW SERIES: LEARNING TO CARVE II Part 4: 'Learning by Doing' ________________________________________________ A short series of articles touching on the more non-physical aspects of carving which, to my mind, are just as important in how well or joyfully people carve - or IF they carve at all! 4. LEARNING BY DOING! I've just come back form a very rich and enjoyable teaching time at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Maine, USA. In the 3 weeks I was there, different students made the same comment to me - at least 7 times that I can remember. ("You are standing on my foot!"). I get a similar comment every year and make a similar reply. ("Well get smaller shoes then!"). I'll tell you how it (really) ran when I first heard it over 20 years ago now. A weekly carving class: I'm circulating around the benches offering help and advice (with shoe size, say). I spend a while carving with a student, showing them how to fix their carving 'problem'; in effect, how to carve. The student watches in silence. Then - and I can always hear it coming; in fact I hear the stream of thought bubbling before it reaches the surface - in a little, reverential voice the student says: "You make it look so easy!". Actually I have 2 replies now and although it's good to have options I don't know which makes me feel more of a smart-arse. The first one is: "Well, you wouldn't want me to make it look difficult, would you?" The second is to ask: "How much carving have you done since I saw you last week? How many hours?" And the answer would be number between nothing and hardly anything. I then ask: "Guess how much I have done since I saw you last?" And the answer would be a number between 30 and 50 hours. And I don't really need to say more as to why I might make what I did "look easy"' I talk ad nauseum about practice and I'm sure you've got the point. Also about getting passionate and motivated in order to work at the craft. I suppose that HERE, although I am still saying I 'practise', I'm not practising in the normal sense of setting myself tasks that help me learn the craft. I'm just doing it (and, ye gods smiling, getting paid!). Once you are up and running as a carver, you will want to make your 'practice' and your projects the same thing. Just do it, lots of it. The main benefit? Experience. If I know a lot about carving now, it's experience: 'THE ACCUMULATION OF KNOWLEDGE OR SKILL THAT RESULTS FROM DIRECT PARTICIPATION IN EVENTS OR ACTIVITIES'. You do something - it works! With luck, you remember it for next time. You do something - aaargh! With luck, you remember not to do it again Quickly this 'feedback' - learning by assessing what's going on - turns into experience. The more carving you do, the quicker you build up this experience. Students' carving and 'problems' are endlessly different and I'm expected to help in each differing situation (and not just with shoes). If I can help, it's because I have more experience, not because I have some new magic cut to show them. So, when you start you are 'practising' to learn basic skills and as you continue you gain competence. Then, more and more, you are adding the element of experience. And with experience comes confidence. And it's here the really deep joys of carving kick in. As ever, isn't this the same with everything you do? Thanks to all the students who remember me replying in this way! How much carving have you done since we last spoke? Next month: The Theory of Relativity ================================================= That's all for this month! Joy and success in your carving! Chris Pye ------------------------- PS: One for the bench: "And St. Francis said to the almond tree: 'Sister, speak to me of love.' And the almond tree blossomed." ~Kazantzakis ____________________________________________________________ SOME WEBSITE BOOKMARKS ____________________________________________________________ ----------------- SLIPSTONES WOODCARVING MANUALS Help yourself! Full list and details: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/index.html * Quick Carving Questions - 1 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq1.html (Sponsored by Tools for Working Wood: http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/) * Quick Carving Questions - 2 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq2.html (Sponsored by Classic Hand Tools: http://www.classichandtools.com/) * Quick Carving Questions - 3 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq3.html (Sponsored by Preferred Edge Carving Knives & Supplies: http://www.preferrededge.ca/) * Quick Carving Questions - 4 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq4.html (Sponsored by The Japan Woodworker: http://www.japanwoodworker.com/) * The Accomplished V Tool 1 - Free evaluation copy http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/v1.html * Learning to Carve - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/learncarving.html * A Guide to Safe Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/safecarving.html * Mistakes and Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/mistakes.html * Fundamentals of Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/fundamentals.html *Slicing, And The Value Of The Inside Bevel With The Chris Pye #2 1/2 Finishing Gouges From Ashley Iles - Free pdf http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/slicing.html ----------------- TEACHING * UK (1-TO-1 PERSONAL TUITION) Full details here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/tuition/t_custom.html Single day: £150 3 days: £360 5 days: £495 Lunch included. Local B&Bs in a very beautiful part of England... * CANADA (ROSEWOOD STUDIO, ALMONTE, ONTARIO) 2005 http://www.rosewoodstudio.com Sep 12 - Sep 16 Relief Carving I (Beginners) Sep 19 - Sep 23 Relief Carving II (Advanced) * USA (CENTER FOR FURNITURE CRAFTSMANSHIP, MAINE) 2006 http://www.woodschool.org/ June 5 - 11 Wood Sculpture (provisionally - interested?) June 14 - 16 Wood Sculpture June 19 - 23 Ornamental Carving (content to be decided) June 26 - 30 Relief Carving July 3 - Jul 7 Intermediate/Advanced Carving ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyright (c) Chris Pye 2005 Chris@chrispye-woodcarving.com ----------------------- -----------------------