This was the fourth year

we have held the RETREAT and we continued evolving with an all volunteer instructor and organizational staff. Once again it was held at the woodland and ponds of the Alton B. Jones Annex of the University of Rhode Island. The Retreat ran from Friday night at 5:30pm through Monday at 5:00pm; 6, 7, 8, and 9 October 2000.

For 2000 we had six formal classes. Our general format for classes was one subject for Saturday and Sunday and then have students switch instructors on Monday for a different one day class. There were exceptions again this year due to the complexity of the projects- the Racoon, and the Rainbow Trout which in order to complete the project reguired 3 days. Classes on Monday continued through 5pm, no evening meal was provided on Monday

Instructors in 2000 included Rip Stangroom (New England WoodCarvers Club) carving a full figure “Moose” animal in flat plane style.

Peter Benson, (Chairman of the British Woodcarvers Association) carving an "Otter" in the round.

Jim O'Dea (Mystic Carvers Club) carving assorted projects for novices.

No Picture

Jim Roediger (Mystic Carvers Club) carving a "Rainbow Trout".

and Don Espinosa (Mystic Carvers Club) choice of relief carving subjects.

In addition to the above classes, this year we had a workshop doing mallet and chisel carving (no power tools will be used) of a full size "Racoon Family" (father, mother and babies). We worked as a group from a chainsawen rough out which reguired carving the face, paws, some shaping of the body and texturing the fur. This family set of Racoons was donated to the URI Environmental Education Center which operates the facilities we stayed in. Ray Johnson and Norm Slater led this workshop. Attendees also each worked on a small racoon which they then took home.

Ainslie Pyne who had been scheduled for a class on carving an "Aboriginal Bust" had to unexpectedly cut short her US visit and return to Austraila. We are hopeful she will be able to return in 2001.

Highlight of the Retreat was the marriage of two woodcarver memebers of the Mystic Carvers Club - Jim Rodiger and Jill Kearney (no it was planned before hand, not a spontaneous reponse to the great weekend). The cerimony took place in the main dinning room in front of the fireplace. Wood chips may have been thrown along with some rice as the couple departed for a honeymoon in the "Mouse House" cabin.

Check in started at 5:00 p.m. on Friday 8 October 1999. We had a self-serve evening meal available starting at 5:30 P.M. Friday night. At 7 P.M. we had introductions of the RETREAT organizers and instructors, and asked everyone to introduce himself or herself. Individual who had brought a carving for show and tell did so.

Our format for classes was the same as in the past few years with one subject for Saturday and Sunday and then having students switch instructors on Monday for a different one day class.

On Saturday and Sunday nights, several of the attendees volunteered to instruct informal classes. Ed Cattey- Knife making class

and Claire Ruch Woodburning (no picture).

Harold Griffin's whale calss

Once again we had a basswood egg carving contest.

On Monday demonstration/carve alongs included:

Monday all day - Rip Stangroom, basic Human Face, bottle stopper size
Monday all day - Peter Benson, small relief panel or a netsuke or something similar to the wren
Monday all day – Jim O’Dea, carving a Santa in a basswood egg
Monday all day – Don Espinosa shallow relief carving
Monday all day - Jim Rodieger (continue with the Rainbow Trout project) Monday all day - Ray Johnson (continue family of Raccoons, also working on your own racoon)

The Mystic Carvers Club of Mystic, Connecticut, USA was the sponsor of the Retreat.
Jim O'Dea e-mail me and Ray Johnson were the Co- Chairman of the Retreat.