2024 Women’s Hand Carving Workshop

Why Hand Tools :
It is quiet, peaceful, we can easily talk among ourselves and dust is limited. If you aren’t a hand carver, bring a partly finished piece you can rasp, chisel, or sand.
We have two set up locations adjacent to each other: There us room for 8 people to set up under the covered patio. This is on a sign-up basis, first come, first served. Please let us know of this preference. There is room for 8 canopies on the lawn. Folks have shared a canopy comfortably for this event.

Location: Old Alcohol Plant Inn, 310 Hadlock Bay Road, Hadlock, WA. (6 miles south of Port Townsend)

Hotel Reservations: Accommodations arranged separately and are paid for by the participants. Please see below for room types and rates available at the Old Alcohol Plant. The earlier you register, the more options are available to you for size, price and ability to pick a room that is good for sharing (if that is what you wish).

Weekend Agenda
Friday 11:00am – dinner time -
Sat. 9:00am – dinner time
Sun. 9:00am – 1:00pm

Continental Breakfast and coffee provided by NWSSA.
Lunches- On Your Own.
Dinners- Pot Lucks.

ART WALK: Saturday: 10AM-4PM

Read more ...

Tool Tuesday

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83280384423

Looking forward to seeing you there!

2023 Women’s Hand Carving Workshop

Why Hand Tools :
It is quiet, peaceful, we can easily talk among ourselves and dust is limited. If you aren’t a hand carver, bring a partly finished piece you can rasp, chisel, or sand.
We have two set up locations adjacent to each other: There us room for 8 people to set up under the covered patio. This is on a sign-up basis, first come, first served. Please let us know of this preference. There is room for 8 canopies on the lawn. Folks have shared a canopy comfortably for this event.

Location: Old Alcohol Plant Inn, 310 Hadlock Bay Road, Hadlock, WA. (6 miles south of Port Townsend)

Hotel Reservations: Accommodations arranged separately and are paid for by the participants. Please see below for room types and rates available at the Old Alcohol Plant. The earlier you register, the more options are available to you for size, price and ability to pick a room that is good for sharing (if that is what you wish).

Weekend Agenda
Friday 11:00am – dinner time -
Sat. 9:00am – dinner time
Sun. 9:00am – 1:00pm

Continental Breakfast and coffee provided by NWSSA.
Lunches- On Your Own.
Dinners- Pot Lucks.

ART WALK: Saturday: 10AM-4PM

Read more ...

3rd Annual Women's Hand Carving Event

Eighteen women attended the 3rd annual Women’s Hand Carving Event which took place June 3-5. Due to the pandemic this event had been cancelled for the past 2 years. It was no surprise then that enthusiastic carvers showed up from Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia, Canada to enjoy one another’s company, share ideas and new tools. Everyone was excited to try out some flexible diamond sandpaper that Julianne Kohn demonstrated.
The setting of the Old Alcohol Plant Inn in Port Hadlock, WA was splendid. Canopies had plenty of room to set up on the lawn which is surrounded by the Inn’s beautiful gardens overlooking Port Townsend Bay. There was also a covered patio for a handful of carvers. The Inn’s owners and staff couldn’t have been more hospitable and supportive of the event.
As usual with the NWSSA gatherings there was some great food! A potluck taco bar was enjoyed by all on Friday night thanks to the participants’ delicious contributions with plenty of leftovers for the next day’s lunch. Eva Kozun coordinated the meal planning and provided us with her culinary expertise, bringing healthy breakfast fare and a most decadent and delicious chocolate cake.
On Saturday the public was invited to attend and watch the women in action as well as view their finished sculptures on display indoors. There was a sizable turnout for this! Visitors were treated to quite a treat showcasing the NWSSA’s work since the Rolling Pin Challenge went on display that same weekend in the lobby of the Inn. Rumor has it that a few people who visited the artists in action will be attending the Pilgrim Firs camp. It was a fruitful weekend with participants even asking about the possibility of doing a similar gathering mid-winter!

Youth Soapstone Carving at Evergreen Arboretum Saturday, August 20th

Soapstone Carving Workshop for Youth 

2020 Women’s Hand Carving Workshop

4th Annual Women’s Hand Carving Workshop

Location:  Old Alcohol Plant Inn, 310 Hadlock Bay Road, Hadlock, WA.  (6 miles South of Port Townsend)

Hours: 

Friday: 11:00 am – 4:00 pm;

Saturday: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Sunday: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Call, text or email any questions to Ellie - 206-419-3499   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Online Registration Open Now!

Friday Night Discussion: Textures & Finishes

Women’s Hand Carving Workshop 3.0

3rd Annual Women’s Hand Carving Workshop

Location:  Old Alcohol Plant Inn, 310 Hadlock Bay Road, Hadlock, WA.  (6 miles South of Port Townsend)

Hours: 

Friday: 11:00 am – 4:00 pm;

Saturday: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Sunday: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Call, text or email any questions to Ellie - 206-419-3499   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Online Registration Open Now!

Women’s Hand Carving Workshop 2.0

Women’s Hand Carving Workshop 2.0

                              June 8-9-10 2018

Location:  Old Alcohol Plant Inn, 310 Hadlock Bay Road, Hadlock, WA.

 (6 miles South of Port Townsend)

Hours: 

Friday: 11:00am – 4:00pm;        Saturday: 10:00am – 4:00pm          Sunday: 11:00am – 1:00pm

                  Gallery walk will be Saturday afternoon while we work.

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NWSSA Day at Marenakos Rock Center

Join members of the Northwest Stone Sculptors Association for a one-day introduction to the art of stone carving at the largest stone supply company in the NW!  

1:00 - 3:00

Past Workshops

The following is a list of some of the past workshops the NWSSA has offered in the Pacific Northwest region. We hope to offer many of these workshops on an annual basis. Please contact us or check back on our calendar to see when these workshops are scheduled.

• Building Pedestals  In this work shop we will build cedar pedestals like the ones used for the Camp Brotherhood Sculpture Walk. These pedestals break down so you can transport and store them flat. Pat Barton will instruct this work shop.  Materials, instruction, handouts, and most tools will be provided for attendees to build their own pedestals. The goal is for each attendee go home with one or more pedestals. Registration fee includes materials for one pedestal, or up to additional 3 pedestals with a per pedestal materials charge.
• Tool Sharpening Al Mangold will go over what is needed to sharpen your tools and how it's done to get a good result. We have limited the size of the group, will provide bench grinders, and set aside plenty of time for you sharpen your tools with Al's guidance.  Bring a few of your tools that need sharpening, safety glasses, and ear protection.
• Learning to Photograph Your Sculpture You should always have a visual record of your Art. Whether as a hobbyist, for gallery presentations, or entering competitions. Demonstrating various backgrounds to bring out the best with your Sculptures, Various lighting formats, What to enhance on your sculptures to highlight a special part, various angles, and more. This workshop is aimed at teaching you what to look for when photographing your sculpture. Photographer Gregg Krogstad will present the professional perspective. His recent work includes photographing Tony Angel's work for the Foster White Gallery. Ann Lancaster & Dan Colvil along with photographer Jack Stephens, will use the sculpture at Marenakos (or a small piece you bring to the workshop) to walk you through photographing 3D work.
• Working with Marenakos as a Sculptor Come take the tour specifically calibrated to sculptors. As a warm-up, just to get a feel for what a stone carver can pick up by dropping by Marenakos, Kentaro Kojima will lead NWSSA members through Marenakos "treasure pile", the end-cut pile, the Columbia column, and the igneous boulders pile. He will also talk about their selection of igneous stone and limestone, and their fabrication capabilities and how to work with Marenakos in your sculpting process. He will cover their 9ft diameter saw, which can cut a 4ft of depth, as well as their 40inch (Jaguar) saw, wire saw, core drill capabilities, rock splitters, sand blasting, and much more.
• Professional Photography of Your Work For those just starting out, or maybe you just haven't had time to get some of your newest work photographed, NWSSA & the Community Artists Program have teamed up and arranged a time and space for you to get your work professionally photographed by Gregg Krostad of Krostad Photography. What we learned from our previous workshops is that this kind of an arrangement works well for your needs. Within two weeks you will have both hi-res and low-res images on disk for your professional portfolio (and for your "Members Gallery" place on the NWSSA web site, if you aren't up there yet or need an update).
• Neolithic Stone Warehouse Tour Randy Zieber will walk you through his warehouse of stone in Vancouver BC. He will tell you a little bit about some of the stone he has there, where it comes from, and any experience he has had carving it, including which tools he has found works best for the stone. Just as a reminder he has: Soapstone, Alabaster, Chlorite, Wonderstone (Pyrophyllite), Anhydrite, Limestone, Marble, Granite and more (like his 3-5 foot calcite spheres). He has limited the number of attendees to 15 so that there is time available to talk with everyone and allow people to safely browse through the warehouse.
• Working Your Strengths to Find Your Way Tim Reisenhaur a psychologist who, for over ten years, has helped people find and use their strengths to meet their goals will lead this 4 hour workshop. It will provide you with the tools and vocabulary to identify your positive strengths and first steps for applying them in your day to day work. The focus will be on using your top strengths to help you in producing your art (or just about anything in your life, but that's outside the scope of this workshop). 
• Carving the Face & Human Head - Sabah Al-Dhaher  For sculptors who have been hesitant to try figurative carving, this workshop format allows them to gain a quick familiarity with carving the face and head. For those with figurative carving experience this workshop provides an opportunity to sharpen those skills. The workshop will provide all hand tools and limestone (see materials fee at check out) for up to 8 people. Sabah will demonstrate the process of carving the human head with hand tools on limestone. The workshop will be one-on-one instruction and open to all levels.  Participants will learn about basics of the human head, its form, line, volume, and proportion.  You will be encouraged to bring you own feeling into the form.  Sabah's technique stresses working quickly and decisively and  trusting in one’s innate ability to overcome hesitation.
• Carving the Human Figure - Sabah Al-Dhaher For sculptors who have been hesitant to try figurative carving, this workshop format allows them to gain a quick familiarity with carving the figure. For those with figurative carving experience this workshop provides an opportunity to sharpen those skills. The workshop will provide all hand tools and limestone (see materials fee at check out) for up to 8 people. Sabah will demonstrate the process of carving the human figure with hand tools on limestone. The workshop will be one-on-one instruction and open to all levels. Participants will learn about basics of the human figure, its form, line, volume, and proportion. You will be encouraged to bring you own feeling into the form. Sabah's technique stresses working quickly and decisively and trusting in one's innate ability to overcome hesitation.
• Creating Your Artist Statement Do you know the difference between what goes into an Artist Statement, Bio, and a Resume? Would you like to learn how to write a professional artist statement or update your exisitng Artist's Statement? Anne Lancaster, founder of the Community Artists Program, will do a one hour presentation on professional requirements for all artists – Artist Statement, Bio, Resume, with a primary focus on creating an Artist Statement. She will work with participants to co-create their artist statement and their presentation to the group. At the end of the workshop each artist will have completed and presented their new artist statement.

Workshops Available & Lower Membership Fee

We listened to your input and have begun scheduling half to full day workshops to bring small groups of carvers together. [CLICK HERE] look them over for the details and register.   

This Winter, we will have workshop at Portland Community College - and we are looking to also bring together people in the Eugene/Salem/Vancouver British Columbia area. 

We'll keep you informed and ask that you keep checking the "Upcoming Workshops" (under "Events and News") part of the web site.

Here are some of the workshops we have held, if you'd like to see them presented again, drop us a note:  Sharpening Tools,  Marenakos, Pedestals, Photographing 3D Art, Neolithic Stone Tour , Turning Your Stone into Bronze,  Carving Face and Human Head, Working From Your Strengths To Find YOUR Way,  Professional Photography of your Artwork, Carving the Human Figure, Field Trip to Olivine/Dunite Quarry, Abstract on Orcas, Polishing Hard Stone, Working Wet; Dust Free Stone Carving , ART(ifacts) To What End?

AND to further encourage new and renewing members, the board has decided to reduce NWSSA membership to $45. If you plan on attending two or more workshops, becoming a member makes good sense. Take a look and see if any of the workshops listed meet your needs. For those who have renewed after Sept 1st 2013, you can apply the difference to workshop fees (please leave a comment in the web form when you check out during registration so we can apply it or drop the president [This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.] an email).
** Membership Dues increase to $50 annually effective September 2019

Thanks to all who responded to the survey and made comments. Your input gives us direction and helps us in setting up the  workshops.

• • More than 70%  (and in the case of "river walks" 80%) said you would attend or were likely to attend a workshop or tour of stone yards, quarries, finding and acquiring stone.
  • Tool sharpening is of interest to about 71% who said they would attend or would likely attend.
  • Human Forms/Figurative, Basics of carving marble as well hard stone, and Combining stone and steel had about 65% saying they would attend or would likely attend.
  • Saturday and Sunday are the favored days of the week to hold a workshop and morning to midday is the preferred time slot for those days.

From this useful information we have more workshops to schedule, people to contact, and venues from which coordinate dates and times. Again thank you for your participation and we look forward to seeing you at the workshops and providing you the chance to talk with other stone carvers.

The Board: Ken Barnes, Ben Mefford, Carl Nelson, Michael Yeaman, Rick Johnson, Steve Sandry, Pat Barton, & Verena Schwippert
Drop one of us a note if you have further questions:  [CLICK HERE]