"the Gathering Of The Masters Carving Class"

[hidepounder]

When Andy Stevens contacted me and told me about this event I was thrilled. His idea was to assemble a group of accomplished toolers with different styles and put them together in the classroom. I thought that sounded terrific and would provide a great opportunity for anyone wanting to expand their tooling skills. It will be a hands on class with five instructors in a class of thirty. Students can expect to be exposed to a variety of styles and techniques over two days of participation.

The class is being presented by the Western Folklife Center in Elko. This is an amazing group, well known for their support and promotion of western art and lifestyle. And Elko is a fun town with lots to see and do including the Cowboy Poetry Gathering, the Great Basin Cowboy Gear Show and a number of related trade shows.

Date: January 25 & 26, 2011

Location: Elko Convention Center, Elko, NV

Instructors: Don Butler, Steve Mecom, Bob Park, Doug Krause and Gaylerd Thissle

Cost: $350

Contact: Andy Stevens 308/991-2364 or andy@andystevens.net

Students will be required to provide their own tools, stamp rock, pencils and paper, tracing film, light if they want, and a piece of prior work (this is not a class for beginners). Tooling leather will be provided.

This is going to be a fun event and I am honored to be a part of it. Andy tells me that seats are going fast so if you think you might be interested be sure to contact him soon! He will answer any questions that you may have.

[BearMan]

What an opportunity!! To be in a classroom, learning from all these Masters,,, is something we all should be lining up for!!

[hidepounder]

For anyone who might be interested in this class, you'll be glad to hear that the class fees are actually $300 rather than the $350 advertised. Just wanted to keep everyone up to date.

Bobby

[hidepounder]

I just returned from Elko Nevada and the "Gathering of the Masters" carving class and I am so excited about the outcome of this event that I wanted to give a report. First I need to tell you that Andy Stevens did and incredible job in organizing this event! It was truly impressive and far exceeded my wildest expectations.

We started out with a barbeque dinner hosted by Andy and Heidi and what a feed it was. After dinner a round table discussion ensued regarding carving leather that was absolutely amazing! I learned so much that evening that I had to go back to my room and make notes to ensure I wouldn't forget something. Believe me....an open discussion among artists like Don Butler, Doug Krouse, Steve Mecum, Gaylerd Thissle and Andy Stevens is an amazing event! It alone was worth the twelve hour drive and I could have listened for hours!

We showed up and hour early the first morning for a magazine interview and at 9 AM the class began. There were 28 students in all which included a couple of beginners, mostly intermediate level toolers, a few very accomplished toolers and several professional saddle makers including a well known TCAA saddle maker as well! Both students and instructors alike were so pumped that no one wanted to stop for breaks or lunch and so the class roared straight through until 5 PM. Each instructor had prepared an 8-1/2" x 11" panel which was displayed at the beginning of the class representing their tooling style. The student' s packets included a photo copy and tooling pattern of each of those panels and they each selected one of them to tool.

I knew this was going to be a fun and informative class and that I was likely to learn as much as our students, however I was in no way prepared for the incredible amount of spontaneous information that flowed. I was truly in awe of the ability of those instructors and their willingness to share what they spent a lifetime learning. And there were some learning curves for the instructors too. For example, I suggested to a student that he change the order in which he beveled in order to produce a better result only to find out that another instructor had just finished telling him to do what I was advising him against! We all had a good laugh which led to an open discussion about the sequence of tools used. We discovered that out of five instructors there were three entirely different approaches to beveling alone. I think we all found this amazing and it served to prove that the first rule is that there are no rules when it comes to tooling and that there is more than one way to skin a cat! And so it went and the students were exposed to many different techniques with which they could experiment and discover what worked best for them.

The second day was more of the same. Most of the students completed their panel by the end of the second day. A few even started a second one. Don Butler, having instructed in the last "Masters" class held years ago at the Autry Museum, commented that the value of the photos and patterns alone was worth the cost of tuition.

For my part, the abilities, knowledge and willingness to share by my fellow instructors was truly humbling and I don't believe a single question went unanswered. I really admire each of those instructors and will have to do a lot to step up my game if I want to play in their sand box, LOL!

In addition to the Carving Class held in conjunction with the Cowboy Poetry Gathering, there was also the Great Basin Gear Show and Sale which is a juried gear show held at the museum. I'm proud to report that all of the categories involving tooled leather were won by instructors from the carving class.

For those of you who wanted to attend but were unable to, there has already been some discussion of possibly repeating the event again next year, so you might get your chance. What an incredible class! And for all of those who were able to attend I want to thank you for helping to make it such memorable event. I am confident I can speak for the instructors when I say we truly enjoyed participating and learned as much as the students. And thank you Andy and Heidi Stevens for all of your hard work in making this event possible! It was simply amazing!

Bob Park

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Hey Bob,

There is no question that this was a unique experiance for students and instructors alike. I can only hope that by the time the next opportunity like this comes up, I can find a way to get there. If life has taught me anything, it's that no body knows it all, and it is never too late to learn. I bet , just being there to watch and absorb was worth the prce of admission.

Thanks to you, and all the others that willingly offer up their experiance for us to learn from.

Bob