JERRY M, CLUB PRESIDENT, to the rescue. Missing keys, broken belts, wobbly legs, unlockable cabinets… It makes no difference to our own resident super hero. There is no denying Jerry gets put through his paces keeping our club running smoothly. He seems to have worked over time latelybut that doesn’t ever stop him.

Featured Carvings and Meet the Members:

Avinash K. is one of our newest members and we are pleased to welcome him aboard. Based on this, his first carving ever, it looks like he is a natural.

Hamid F, highly productive and always hard at work, Hamid has taken to making bird houses with wonderful detail and creativity.

Steve E. is working on a walking stick with tons of character. Steve has a great “eye” and a great sense of humour.

Rick H. is yet another new member we are happy to welcome to the club, keeping fresh blood and creativity flowing. Here he is working on a walking stick and looking forward to the inspiration and helpful hint we might have to offer.

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President’s Message

Summer is almost gone. Through it we had attendance of approx. 10 die hard carvers each week. We had a good turn out at the first Tuesday in September and hopefully we just keep having more each week. It’s great to see the different carvings and wood burnings being done.

Thanks last night to those helpers who helped me track down one of our lost keys for the wood shop machines. It is a dirty job that went faster with help. So that keys or other items don’t get in the dust collection system please use the shop vacuum to clean machines and surfaces in shop not the hoses from the dust collection system your cooperation is appreciated.

Members can now pay to renew their memberships with Ogden and our club for the 2025 year if you wish, they both remain at $35.00 each.

As announced at the summer party, the Christmas party will be on December 3rd. It will be turkey dinner with cabbage rolls and cash bar services, catered by Kim. Price and start time for the evening to be announced when possible. We will have a gift exchange again for those that wish to participate, we are working on ways to make the exchange move along at a faster pace this year so it will take less time. Thanks to Lori for volunteering to help us with that again this year as she always does a great job. If anyone has ideas for our party decorations or entertainment etc. I would like to hear your suggestions.

We will have our carving competition again this year so if you carved an item after June this year bring it along for a chance to win one of the three prizes – $35.00- $25.00 or $15.00 . Also we will have tables set up for your past carvings or in progress carvings or wood burnings that you are willing to share with all.

As of September 9th we have $1,768.27 in the bank and $86.00 in cash. I will try to include an update on finances in each newsletter. New club members can now join and there membership will be good to Dec 2025 for Ogden and our club.

JERRY MURPHY

KEEP THOSE CHIPS FLYING

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Something of Interest: Lori S. Irish

LORA IRISH is a household name in the woodworking world. She is something of a celebrity in fact. For those of us who are already aware of her, this will be a welcome refresher.

For those of us who don’t know who she is yet… PREPARE TO BE IMPRESSED.

Lora Susan Irish’s first claim to fame was an accomplished artist painting pure bred dogs in oil. She was trained as a Fine Artist at the University of Maryland.

Her beautiful work has been published as limited edition art prints and has been featured on the front covers of “Doberman Quarterly 1991, all four issues of 1991 “Samoyed Quarterly”, and “Shetland Sheepdog Quarterly” 1991 published by Hoflin Press. Today she is famously known as the author of a series of woodcarving, pyrography, and craft pattern books. She generously offers free downloadable patterns and tutorials on her website and Facebook page as well. She has multiple book and publications on subjects ranging from pyrography to relief carving, carving in the round and chip carving. Her website itself is a valuable resource as is her facebook page where she offers many tutorials. She also offers many free patterns.

To call her website a rabbit hole of information would be an understatement. It would take most of us a lifetime to work through the offerings we find there.

Lora’s love of oil painting was passed down to her from her mother who was an oil painter and owned and operated a ceramic and crafts studio. Her father was her carving mentor and she literally learned to carve at his bedside. She has more than done them both, proud as she has become internationally reknowned as both an artist and woodcarver today.

With such a diverse love of all things artistic it is no surprise that Lora also offers tutorials and publications combining media. At the right you will see cane toppers that also feature memory bags, a lovely way to personalize walking sticks and incorporate mementos.

If you haven’t found your own personal carving hero yet, you may just want to take a closer look at thie amazing carver, painter, pyrographer, carfter and teacher.

Fox Chapel Publishing has sold more than 500,000 copies of Irish’s books. Lora is also a frequent contributor to Woodcarving Illustrated and to Scroll Saw Woodworking and Crafts magazines.

Calcarver Family Album: A Random Sampling of Life in the Calgary Carver’s Club

THE IMPORTANCE OF PREPARATION: Our members preparing to carve, Susie practices burning feathers, Genevieve transfers using graphite paper, Ted pieces a pattern together, Avi consults with Bill on starting a chip carving for the first time

AROUND THE ROOM: Frank and Lori hard at work. Dave’s boat washed ashore, Gwen’s wiseman in progress and Natasha and Arezoo work on honing their pyrography skills.

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Mary-Leigh D.