Carvin' a Noggin Dr. Terry M. Trier

One of my favorite things to do in the woods (or anywhere, actually) is whittle. The nice thing about doing it in the woods is that you don't have to clean up the mess. On a backpacking trip to the dunes of Lake Michigan, I wanted to test out a few tools on a little whittling project. For this project, I used the Sawvivor, a Frost hoof knife, a Gransfors Bruks mini hatchet, and the Gerber Yari.I started with a block of wood (red oak) that I cut from a deadfall using the Sawvivor. This was pretty easy work for the little saw and an excellent tool for cutting saplings up to 5 or 6 inches.

I used the GB mini to work the block into shape. I have to say I was totally impressed with this tool. It is a very precise wood carving tool and most of the initial shape was formed using the mini. It was a tremendous pleasure to cut with and the pile of chips lying around the noggin were easy as pie to create with the mini. This is a really wonderful tool.

Scroll down for some fantastic art!      Sculptures of Native American scenes made out of paper by Allen and Patty Eckman   These stunningly detailed sculptures may only be made from paper - but they are being snapped up by art fans for tens of thousands of pounds. The intricate creations depict Native American scenes and took up to 11 months to make using a specially formulated paper Husband and wife team Allen and Patty Eckman put paper pulp into clay moulds and pressurize it to remove the water The hard, lightweight pieces are then removed and the couple painstakingly add detailed finishing's with a wide range of tools They have been making the creations since 1987 at their home studio, in South Dakota, America, and have racked up a whopping £3 million selling the works of art The pieces depict traditional scenes from Native American history of Cherokees hunting and dancing The most expensive piece is called Prairie Edge Powwow which sold for £47,000 Allen said: "We create Indians partly because my great, great grandmother was a Cherokee and my family on both sides admire the native Americans... ...I work on the men and animals and Patty does the women and children" explains Allen "I enjoy most doing the detail. The paper really lends itself to unlimited detail. I'm really interested in the Indians' material, physical and spiritual culture and that whole period of our nation's history I find fascinating. From the western expansion, through the Civil War and beyond is of great interest to me." Allen explained their technique: "It should not be confused with paper Mache. The two mediums are completely different. I call what we do 'cast paper sculpture'" ..."Some of them we create are life-size and some we scale down to 1/6 life-size" "These sculptures are posed as standing nude figures and limited detailed animals with no ears, tails or hair" "We transform them by sculpting on top of them - creating detail with soft and hard paper we make in various thicknesses and textures. "We have really enjoyed the development of our fine art techniques over the years and have created a process that is worth sharing. There are many artists and sculptors who we believe will enjoy this medium as much as we have." An Indian mother holding her baby is a favourite of many clients

Since we’ve temporarily lost the N Massapequa Community Center due to construction,  the meeting date is now the second Wednesday of the month. 

 Meetings will be held at the Special Activities Center in Eisenhower  Park.  We’ll return to Massapequa as soon as the project is completed.

Happy Holidays to all and a Happy and Healthy New Year! ... Ed Conti

December Meeting will not meet at the Massapequa Club House
The parking lot is being repaired.