Back Panels for the Scene

Those who have followed this project on the WoodCarving Illustrated (WCI) message board may recall that member,Ron Davidson is carving the background panels for the Hillbilly Reunion scene. As you can see from the photos of some of Ron's work, he is an exceptional wood carver. Ron lost his eye sight seven years ago. These two photos are examples of Ron's exceptional talent.

Ron, and his carving, has been featured in numerous news articles, WCI, MSN, and Reuters.

Ron will use specially designed templates that are being made by "Ashby" (West Virginia Wood Arts) from the WCI Message Board. The back panel will be carved in Spanish Cedar.

Keep checking back, for more progress reports.

Latest Information

First of all, I need to thank everyone for the response to this project. It's a great example of the varied talents and levels of experience of folks who participate in the forum. Once the project is completed I know you all will be proud of it. I think we will have met our goals.Now, after talks with WCI and Goody, we need to pull back a bit and see where we are. As much as we would like to keep on getting and including carvings from more and more folks we need to consider some realities. First and perhaps most important is the size of the display. The completed display/scene will have to fit into a space no wider than 4 feet. The weight of the display must also be considered, as it will be shipped here and there. This means that we will evaluate what we have and what is on its way, then see if we just have to have anything else. So unless we specifically request a carving, we will have to go with what we have. Keep on checking the Blog for further information.

Hillbilly Reunion -Hand-off Completed!

Yep! That's Goody. And I can report that the hand off of the Hillbilly Reunion farm house and carvings has been a complete success.
Goody will now integrate what we have into the planned display for WCI. And if there are any out there who do not know Goody, I can assure you that the project is in excellent hands. In fact I stood at Goody's shop with Goody and Anna, and was in complete awe. Seldom have I been privileged to meet such a talented team of crafts folk. Goody's genius with all things mechanical, may be surpassed by Anna's painting. And I have not even mentioned the Carved Santa's, that are Goody's trademark. I must truly come up with an excuse for another road trip; with more time to sit and do some serious whittlin.

I am still receiving some carvings, and look forward to receiving them. These carvings will be forwarded to Goody. As we move towards completion of this project we will identify the need for some additional, and specific carvings that will enhance what we already have.....Keep checking the blog.....

Road Trip!

It's time! Time to get the maps out, the van dusted off, and the gas tank filled. I'll be driving the Hillbilly Reunion carvings and farm house to Goody's this week. Got my map out, checked it; then checked with Goody. Goody said it was a straight shot and should not be hard to do. Just follow I 70 from Ohio to Maryland, get on I 695, get off at exit 12A to Southwestern blvd, to Route 1, then 3 more in town turns and I'm at his shop. Sounds purty simple to me. Then why did I check out MAPQUEST? MAPQUEST says it takes 27 different turns and exits, etc. What a joke! I'll just follow Goody's directions. I suspect it'll take around 7 1/2 hours. It's about 450 miles.

Sneaky Photo Preview!

This photo was posted on the message board/forum in response to what size the front porch is. Since I posted the photo there, I might as well post it here too. The porch is 6 inches deep, 8 inches high, and 24 inched in width. I also have a screen door, if I ever get it completed. The plans now is to transport the farm house and the carvings to Goody in a couple of weeks. Goody will work the whole thing into a display.

Latest!

The Hillbilly farm house is complete. At the present Goody and I will arrange a date for me to drive the farm house and the carvings to his place in Maryland. We hope to be able to have Ashby get together with us also, to begin on the background templates for Ron.

I know I promised photos, but the thought occurred to me that it might be better to wait until the whole scene is completed. Any thoughts on this?

Hillbilly Reunion Latest Progress

I have made lots of barns to scale. I have always tried for squareness and clean lines. But some how all of that does not seem realistic for our hillbilly farm house. The hillbilly farm house needs to be uneven, leaning in all directions, not square, and generally worn out looking. This type of construction is all new to me. My challenge now is to take the farm house and make it look like its 100 years old, and near total collapse. But still be strong enough to withstand packing and shipping. Photos coming!