Creative Woodworks & crafts 2002-06, страница 42

Pete Lc Clair, a resident of Fitehburg. Massachusetts, lias been carving since 1973. His first interest was carving ships in a bottle. He says, "I really enjoyed carving the ships" hulls so I went to the local library and found Andy Anderson's book on cowboy caricaturcs." Pete immediately fell in love with that style of carving.

After sixteen years of self study and gaining information from books by such luminaries as Claude Bolton and Harold Enlow. Pete found himself "going through some hard times." 1 le stopped carving for two years. Then, Pete says, "1 read in Chip Chats that I larold was conducting a two-day seminar at Silver Dollar City." Since he had vacation time, he took the seminar with Harold Knlow and got started carving again. Pete says, "I haven't looked back since."

In 1991, Pete started doing wood carving shows in the New England area and received recognition through articles written about him in local newspapers. Then, in 1992, he started doing shows throughout the Northeast when he had weekends off from his regular job. Now that he is retired, Pete is beginning to do more shows. As it is. he has branched out enough to become the two-time Texas Woodcarving Guild State Champion.

Pete made his entry into teaching in 1980 at the request of the Fitehburg Adult Education Department, lie continued there through 1985. Soon, clubs started calling Pete and asking him to do seminars. He travels widely to tcach his seminars, but ''the highlight was being invited to Sydney, Australia to do a seminar." As a teacher, Pete's goal is to "introduce the wonderful world of wood carving to people looking for a hobby." He teaches a step by step method to develop a total understanding of the head and body, "trying to keep it as simple as possible." He finds that teaching has made him a better carver becausc it "makes you think and don't take anything for granted."

Pete enjoys carving caricaturcs because he loves people and likes to see them laugh or smile, and he finds that his work tickles their funny bone. Mis ideas come from watching people, and from almost any other source, books, magazines or comics. Pete usually develops a sketch and then from that creates a pattern that shows both a front and a side view. From the pattern, he makes a band sawn cutout. After attending a seminar with Marv Kaisersatt, Pete is beginning to do some preliminary modeling in clay to get additional movement in his carvings. Clay can be worked and reworked to test various poses before committing them to wood.

For tools, Pete relies heavily on a straight blade knife, lie also uses palm gouges for specific cuts. Pete's wood of choice is basswood- His finishing techniques allow the wood to show through the paint. To get the effect he likes, lie first applies a basecoat made of linseed oil and raw sienna paint. That gives the bass wood a pale yellow east. He lets the basecoat soak in for five minutes and then wipes it down. Over that, he brushes on thin washes of acrylic color.

Pete's goals for the future are simple: he wants to continue to become a better carver and to keep having fun! jy|

42 • Creative Woodworks S. Crafts June 2002

that's why he is drawn to caricatures.

Once carved, he finishes each piece with a mixture of linseed oil and raw sienna, then thin washes of acrylics.

theme of Pete's.