Woodcarving instructor Rick Wiebe is teaching two new classes at the Sonora Centre in February, one for adults and one for kids. (Contributed photo)
By Vanessa Broadbent
Osoyoos Times
If you can walk and chew gum at the same time, you shouldn’t have a problem carving wood. At least that’s what instructor Rick Wiebe has found.
Wiebe has taught woodcarving – or as he calls it, three dimensional doodling – for over 30 years, and now he’s sharing his knowledge with both adults and children through two new programs hosted at the Sonora Community Centre.
Based out of Keremeos, Wiebe finds the region perfect to practice his craft.
“You don’t need a lot of equipment and here we are in Canada, British Columbia particularly, and we’ve got more wood than anybody,” he said.
“It is really quite amazing what you can do with pieces of wood that people think are not even decent for firewood.”
Although Wiebe finds that almost every kind of wood can be used to make something, he starts his beginner students with cottonwood bark, which is softer and easier to work with.
When teaching children, Wiebe, referred to as Mr. Chips, starts with toys or “things that will do something.” Using a pocketknife, they learn how to make things like a redneck pencil (a twig with a piece of lead in it), a helicopter that flies or a working boomerang.
Woodcarving instructor Rick Wiebe is teaching two new classes at the Sonora Centre in February, one for adults and one for kids. (Contributed photo)
But adults have a longer attention span and can start with carving a human face right away.
However, Wiebe finds that kids and adults alike generally enjoy carving immediately, even if it’s their first time chipping away at a piece of bark.
“It’s really exciting to see how raw beginners have enjoyment in this right off the bat,” he said. “They get right into it and are really enthusiastic.”
It may be because those who usually try out woodcarving are surprised that a lack of artistic ability doesn’t correlate to an inability to carve.
Often, Wiebe said people say they can’t even draw a picture, but then easily catch on to carving.
“I don’t remember anybody who couldn’t do something … At first they seem to be hesitant. I think they feel like they’re going to look stupid or something, but we make them comfortable right away and it doesn’t take very long before they’re getting right into it.”
While some students may catch on quicker than others, Wiebe has found it extremely rare to find someone that can’t carve at all.
Many of his students have gone on to continue carving, and some have started selling their work.
One student from Summerland, Jackie, was asked where she bought the boomerang she had made.
“Her mother phoned me up a few weeks later and told me Jackie started making boomerangs on her own and rented a booth at the farmers market,” Wiebe said. “After she paid for her expenses and everything, she made $35 the first day.”
Even if his students don’t master carving or earn a cent from it, Wiebe has found there are benefits that come simply from with working with your hands.
“Researchers say there’s a connection between being able to do something with your hands and having proper brain formation and I believe it.”
Wiebe’s carving classes take place at the Sonora Centre from Feb. 13 -15. Learn to Carve Cottonwood Characters is from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and for ages 13 and up, and The Magic Pocket Knife – Learn to Carve is for ages nine to 12 and from 2:45 to 4:45.
For more information, visit the Sonora Community Centre, call 250-495-6562 or email [email protected].
