Читать книгу Illustrated Guide to Carving Tree Bark - Jack A. Williams - Страница 6

Rick Jensen got his first taste of carving growing up along the Missouri River bottoms in North Dakota. His father supplied him with a pocketknife at the age of seven. Whittling on sticks started what would become a lifetime of woodcarving.

Upon moving to northwestern Minnesota, Rick became interested in art, including drawing and sculpting. His first carved project was done in a high school art class in 1965. Today, that piece hangs in his home as a reminder of what sparked his interest.

Taking several years off from his art, Rick served in Vietnam, gained a post-secondary education, and began to raise his family of three daughters. He resumed carving in 1984.

Soon after, Rick became interested in woodcarving shows and competitions. While showing his work, he was often approached with the idea of sharing his talent with others by teaching them to carve. He now travels throughout the Midwest and Canada hosting woodcarving seminars.

Some awards he has received at various woodcarving competitions include Best of Show, People’s Choice, Judge’s Choice and Best Table Display, in addition to numerous first and second place awards. Rick has judged carving shows in Canada, Montana and Minnesota.

Rick feels very fortunate to have been chosen by his peers to have his work included in the book, Carving Found Wood by Vic Hood and Jack A. Williams. Other artistic endeavors of Rick’s include antler carving, bone carving and stone carving.

Jack A. Williams is a commercial photographer working from his studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. Photography was once a hobby for Jack until he discovered he could make a living doing what he enjoyed. He then needed a new hobby, so in 1973 he started woodcarving. His first project involved carving an eagle from scrap lumber, not knowing that scrap lumber was not a recommended carving wood.

Undaunted, Jack continued carving. He has since won a third Best of Show in the first National Caricature Carving Competition, a Best of Show at the Ward Wildfowl Carving competition, the People’s and Carver’s Choice and Best of Wood Sculpture at Dollywood and a Best of Division at the International Woodcarvers Congress. Jack also won first place in the Flex-Cut Tool Internet Carving Competition in 2001.

In addition to carving, Jack is also active in the carving community. October 2003 marked the twelfth year for him to coordinate the woodcarving show at Dollywood and the first year to coordinate the National Caricature Carving Competition and Exhibit, also held at Dollywood. He is also a founding member and the current president of the Tennessee Carvers Guild. Jack’s artistic talents have been acknowledged by his peers with an invitation in 2003 to join the Caricature Carvers of America.

Jack now spends a great deal of time photographing carvings at shows and for friends, and his photography appears frequently in many magazines on woodcarving and other subjects. Along with Vic Hood, Jack co-authored Carving Found Wood and Extreme Pumpkin Carving, both published by Fox Chapel Publishing Company.