SEQUIM –– In 1988, Ken Davis went to a wood-carving show looking for a piece of hand-carved art to put in his den.
“But when I saw the prices, I decided it was time to learn how to do it myself,” Davis said.
Twenty-five years later, Davis, a retired school district purchaser from Puyallup, is the featured artist in the Pacific Northwest Wood Artisans’ annual show.
“He’s really done some beautiful work,” Bob Morgenstern, a fellow member of the Artisans club, told the Peninsula Daily News during a recent Tuesday afternoon carving session at Gordon Day’s shop south of Carlsborg.
Featuring carvings, driftwood creations and much more, the club’s annual show takes place Saturday at Sequim’s Pioneer Park, 387 E. Washington St.
Began with birds
Davis began carving birds and last week was sculpting and sanding chickadees he carved for his grandchildren.
“His birds are really something,” Gene Boggs said.
He’s even stepped up his woodworking game, building himself a new house in the hills south of Sequim.
“I figured that would be a bigger challenge to try and hone my wood skills,” Davis said, smiling.
17 artists on display
Davis is one of 17 artists who will have upwards of five pieces of art for sale at Saturday’s show.
Boggs, a retired school teacher, will have an array of Santa ornaments at the show, each painstakingly and lovingly carved.
The club meets every Tuesday in Day’s shop to swap carving tips and experiences, though they admit it can be more of a social hour with bowls of candy strewn about the work tables.
“It’s really just something to pass the time,” Boggs said. “We spend a lot more time talking, I think, than carving.”
Arla Mohnkern will have some of her intricately carved canes at the show, all self-designed and carved with a scalpel from her late husband G.W.’s dentist office.
“They just kind of come out of the wood,” Mohnkern said of the scenes etched in her cane handles.
Woodworking tools and art also will be awarded through a silent auction, with proceeds used by the club to bring in special woodworking instructors and the rest benefiting local charities.
With 38 members, the Pacific Northwest Wood Artisans meet Tuesdays in Day’s shop. Membership is $16 a year.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Joe Smillie can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or at jsmillie@peninsuladailynews.com.
