President’s Message – May-June 2014

It’s been a real pleasure to watch the Camp Brotherhood and Silver Falls symposiums come together. Ben Mefford, under Barbara Davidson and Pat Barton’s tutelage, is leading the ‘Camp B’ effort and Doug Wilshire working with his team of Tom Urban, Rich Hestekind, Lee Imonen, and Kim Lewis have put together this year’s Silver Falls. We have a really good lineup of instructors and activities at both symposiums. For those who cannot make both, it will be a difficult choice. 

At CampB this year, Jade Carving will be mentored by Deborah Wilson and Nathanial Cook. Deborah will be working with a small number of carvers on medium scale Jade pieces and Nathanial will be mentoring work on smaller pieces. Gerda Lattey will be teaching direct carving of basalt and we have arranged with Marenakos to provide basalt for those who wish to give harder stone a try. Jason Quigno will be teaching what he calls his weightless forms in Limestone. He calls his style flowing and graceful and keeps the lines and forms simple to push that feeling of peace so that people notice without being told. Google him or check out: http://www.lafontsee.us/artists/jason-quigno/ or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1853EJfens 

I’ve enjoyed the Silver Falls working title of “Where East meets West – from classical processes to modern technology.” In this context they’ve assembled Kazutaka Uchida to mentor carvers and talk about his work on a small basalt piece, Matt Auvinen to mentor and talk about his assemblages work in marble using classical techniques and forms, Tracy Powell to mentor and provide his perspective on soft stone carving and Stuart Kendall to talk about advanced custom stone cutting equipment for large scale projects, such as his work on the Ten Thousand Year Clock. There will be many opportunities to talk about their art; their approaches to carving and how new technologies will impact the carving process.

There are so many good people and things to be learned at each symposium.

And finally for those of you are interested in learning to carving or refining your skills and have been putting it off, please consider attending one or both symposiums. As I often say to folks, all you have to do is register and show up with a good attitude. We feed you; provide a place to sleep, all the tools you’ll need to learn and awesome mentors. Please come.

… Carl