Classes
What do we teach in our classes?
Each year we teach several projects aimed towards building carving skills and introducing different types of carving, i.e., carving in the round, relief carving, chip carving, cottonwood bark carving, etc. There is plenty of variety to keep students interested throughout the season.
When are classes conducted?
All classes are taught in the evening, beginning at 6:00PM and continuing to around 8:00PM. Current NAWA members can join in any or all of the class sessions.
How much do classes cost?
Classes are FREE but we do ask that students join NAWA. Dues are $25.00 a year and must be paid at or before the first class session. Instructors sell blanks for each project at a nominal fee, generally around $4 (except cottonwood bark or relief blanks which may be slightly more).
What tools are needed for classes?
A SHARP carving knife, optional chip carving knife, strop, and grinding compound, carving glove, and thumb guard are the basic tools needed. If you do not have these items and wish to purchase them at club cost, they will be available at the first class at an average cost of $64 (including dues).
Special Events
From time to time, we are made aware of special classes and/or workshops offered by one of our members or by area woodcarvers or organizations. If we find out about these opportunities, we will post them on our News page and in the Calendar.
We offer beginner carving classes from January to May of each year.
All skill levels are welcome, you do not have to be a beginner to participate.
Join us 6:00 - 8:00,
Thursdays at Oak Park Baptist Church.
If you have questions or wish to sign up for our carving classes, please contact us below. Frank Thompson, our class coordinator, will contact you soon.
Carving Class Interest Form
Meet Our Instructors
Phil Terry
Phil is an incredibly talented individual. In addition to his carving and wood burning, he does beautiful, intricate ship models and is also president of the Living Art Bonsai Society. He has won numerous awards for his carving and wood burning and he is the only person to have ever won People's and Carver's Choice at the same woodcarving show. Though he can carve absolutely anything, his true love is carving cottonwood bark. The details he includes in his bark carvings delight all who see them. He keeps pushing the boundaries of what we think is possible. We are indeed fortunate that he is sharing his techniques with us both in the Beginner classes and in Advanced classes that he has offered in the past. In his "spare" time, Phil serves as both our current President & Show Chair.
John Bloodworth
John is retired and has been an active member of NAWA since 1995. John enjoys carving a variety of subjects and is know for his Santas and caricature carvings.
Tommie Thigpen
Tommie is retired from the Florence City School System and the current secretary of NAWA. She has been carving since 2017 and will teach her first class at the club this year. She joined NAWA in January 2018 with the beginner classes after waiting nearly 9 months for them to begin. Tommie has attended many classes with other experienced carvers at the Renegade Woodcarvers Roundup in Lebanon,
Tennessee, and Southeastern Woodcarving School, in Wetumpka, Alabama. She has also taken many online classes with multiple carvers over last 4 years. Her area of interest is mainly carving Christmas
ornaments from the start, but occasionally ventures to other figures and is a huge fan of caricature and
flat plane carving.
Jerry Kresge
Jerry began carving in 2005 after attending NAWA's annual show. He believed that carving would be a great skill to develop for his retirement years. So he joined NAWA, became a student in the 2006 wood carving classes, and has been carving ever since. His favorite style of carving is deep relief. Jerry prefers relief carving from the sunken through low and deep to pierced relief presentations. He has found that relief carvings incorporate just about all the skills and techniques of the other styles and only requires attention to the carving details on one side! He has been involved with construction and renovation management for the Army around the world and finds many of his subjects during his travels. He and his wife Kathy came to Huntsville from Anniston in 2001 because of a job reassignment.
Larry Nix
Larry is retired from the Postal Service and is a long-time member of NAWA. He has been carving since 1987. His favorite subjects to carve are animals, especially horses, and his carvings of them are unbelievably beautiful. He also carves dogs so realistic that you want to reach out and pet them. In addition, he is also known for his lovely human bust carvings and has won numerous prizes and Purchase Awards as well the People's Choice award. He constantly takes top prizes in our annual shows. Go to any of the Show Winners slide shows to see examples of his stunning work.
Juergen Haukohl
Juergen is a retired engineer, he is originally from Germany and came to Huntsville in 1950 when his father was brought here by Wernher Von Braun to work on the Redstone rocket program. Though he has been carving less than 3 years, the mastery he has accomplished is amazing. He professes to enjoying all types of carving but his bird carvings, for example, are simply beautiful. For his first teaching project, he taught a wonderful Scottie Dog, a version of which won 1st prize in the 2017 Show and Competition.
Ready for a new adventure?
Come learn to carve with us!
