Learn wood sculpting techniques using simple hand tools! This class covers how to use hand saws, gouges, mallets, spoke shaves, draw knives, rasps, files, and more. We will also discuss color, tool sharpening, and how you can have a woodcarving practice at home. Students will begin with low-relief and texture carving to learn how the tools work, and then design and create in-the-round carvings in basswood. This class is a great starting point for learning to express yourself in wood without expensive machines.

Register here.

Fusing design activities and methodologies, including aesthetic sourcing (visual, literary, emotional, and structural) and drawing and modeling, participants engage in design as a problem-solving process. Projects emphasize the development of conceptual visualization through the exploration of two- and three-dimensional sketch techniques.

Tuesday evenings, 6:30–10pm

Register here.

Carve elegant spoons from branches and small trees using simple tools. Spoon carving is a great way to learn about wood and design as well as working with green wood. It requires no dedicated workshop; a stump or a comfortable chair will suffice.

Register here.

Learn how to use hand and machine tools to uncover texture and form in wood. This workshop begins with low-relief carvings then moves on to small in-the-round sculptures, then to experimentation with layering and carving through milk painted surfaces to produce a range of effects. Safe and comfortable practices, tool selection, and tool care will be emphasized throughout to establish sustainable woodworking practices. All levels welcome.

For more than 35 years, Open Door has welcomed Maine residents to campus for an intensive three-day weekend and is designed for individuals of all skill levels and backgrounds.

Workshops are taught by established artists from across the country. The combination of uninterrupted time and the unique setting of the Haystack campus provide a wonderful experience for participants to explore new processes or deepen their studio practice. The program also is widely recognized for its ability to serve Maine-based art educators, who often attend Open Door to acquire professional development experiences.

Open Door will be held October 7–10, 2022. Given the interest in this program, Haystack accepts people based on a lottery system and is open to Maine residents age 18 and over who reside in the state for more than 9-months of the year.

Register here

Learn woodworking fundamentals through a series of exercises utilizing both hand tools and machines. Develop a habit of sharpening and tuning your tools. Practice a variety of joinery techniques and build your own sample library of construction options. Put your newly honed skills to test by building a final project of your own design.

Wednesday nights, 6:30pm– 10pm

Register here.

Take an online workshop in Woodcarving From Home through Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

Absolute beginners to intermediate woodcarvers will learn how to set up a feasible woodworking practice without access to a full shop. We will determine a home set up and set of goals that will work well for each student individually. Students will be required to purchase their own tools and materials, but we can work within a range of budgets. Treat yourself to a lifelong set of tools, or start with some simple items that you could expand upon later. Students will work on designing and carving small wooden vessels, or other sculptural forms. Between demos and work-alongs, there will be ample time for questions on current projects and future goals.

3 Sundays, August 2 to August 16th, 4-6pm.

Register here.

Explore the possibilities of bending wood for furniture and sculpture using steam bending and bent lamination techniques. Learn to create one and two part molds, bending and drying forms, and use a vacuum press, a steam box and more. Experiment with free-form bends and alternative methods of clamping. Create a variety of curved, twisted and manipulated parts, then learn how to turn them into finished pieces at home.

3 Saturdays, March 9-23. 10am-4pm

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Fusing design activities and methodologies, including aesthetic sourcing (visual, literary, emotional, and structural), drawing and modeling, participants engage in design as a problem solving process. Projects emphasize the development of conceptual visualization through the exploration of two and three dimensional sketch techniques.

Though this class was designed for the MassArt Furniture Certificate Program, it is open for registration to the general public through MassArt Continuing Education. The class is perfect for anyone who is interested in furniture design processes. Students leave class with designs that can be built on their own, or in MassArt's course The Art of Furniture I.

Mondays, September 10- December 10, 6:30-10pm

Register here. 

Learn to carve wooden spoons of your own design. Work on developing your personal style, then express it through the creation of functional or decorative spoons. Spend time thinking about how your spoon should look and feel. Cut the profile of your spoons out on the bandsaw. Learn how to hollow a bowl using gouges and mallets. Shape the body of your spoons using a variety of carving and shaping tools. Leave class with your very own small collection of handmade and sculpted spoons that are customized to your taste.

2 Fridays, June 22 & 29, 10am-4pm

Sign up here. 

Natural Reaction: An exhibition of fiber & sculptural works 

Aviary Gallery, Jamaica Plain

Opening Reception March 3, 5pm-10pm

On view until March 31

Make a spoon from pruned or fallen branches. Learn how to split logs and carve a spoon blank with a carving axe. Shape your spoon with carving knives and hollow out the bowl with hook knives. Leave with a hand-carved spoon and the ability to craft a spoon out in the wilderness.

2 Sundays: Feb 11 & 18, 9am-2pm

Sign up here. 

Learn to carve wooden spoons of your own design. Work on developing your personal style, then express it through the creation of functional or decorative spoons. Spend time thinking about how your spoon should look and feel. Cut the profile of your spoons out on the bandsaw. Learn how to hollow a bowl using gouges and mallets. Shape the body of your spoons using a variety of carving and shaping tools. Leave class with your very own small collection of handmade and sculpted spoons that are customized to your taste.

Sign up here.

Create a spoon out of locally fallen branches. Watch demonstrations on how to split a log using a froe, and how to rough out a spoon blank with a carving axe. Carve your spoon into a final form of your own design using only one straight and one curved knife. Finish your spoon using an oil and beeswax mixture.

Contact Lexington Arts and Crafts Society to register.

Come see my work at the Eliot School during Jamaica Plain Open Studios. I will be showcasing alongside 21 other Eliot School faculty members. Join us for local shopping, artist demos, children's activities, live music and more.

Saturday & Sunday September 23 & 24 from 11am-6pm. 

More information can be found here. 

Make a spoon from pruned or fallen branches. Learn how to split logs and carve a spoon blank with a carving axe. Shape your spoon with carving knives and hollow out the bowl with hook knives. Leave with a hand-carved spoon and the ability to craft a spoon out in the wilderness.

2 Sundays: Sept 10 & 17

Sign up here. 

3 Credit Professional & Continuing Education Course

Students capture and develop ideas using a sketchbook or folder system that will be used throughout the certificate program. Fusing design activities and methodologies, including aesthetic sourcing (visual, literary, emotional, and structural), drawing and modeling, participants engage in design as a problem solving process. Projects emphasize the development of conceptual visualization through the exploration of two and three dimensional sketch techniques.

More information here. 

Cut, carve and sand an elegant spoon. Beginners will make a basic version; intermediate students may try more sculptural versions. Use the band saw to establish a spoon blank, then carve handle and bowl. End with a non-toxic oil finish.

Saturday & Sunday, August 12 & 13, 9-3

Sign up here.

Make a spoon from pruned or fallen branches. Learn how to split logs and carve a spoon blank with a carving axe. Shape your spoon with carving knives and hollow out the bowl with hook knives. Leave with a hand-carved spoon and the ability to craft a spoon out in the wilderness.

2 Saturdays: June 17 & June 24, 9-3

Sign up here. 

Cut, carve and sand an elegant spoon. Beginners will make a basic version; intermediate students may try more sculptural versions. Use the band saw to establish a spoon blank, then carve handle and bowl. End with a non-toxic oil finish.

Sunday, April 23, 2017 10-3 & Sunday, April 30, 2017 10-3

Sign up here.

Cut, carve and sand an elegant spoon. Beginners will make a basic version; intermediate students may try more sculptural versions. Use the band saw to establish a spoon blank, then carve handle and bowl. End with a non-toxic oil finish.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017 9:30-2:30 & Wednesday March 1, 2017 9:30-2:30

Sign up here.