The Biggest Show of its kind on Earth is about
to get even bigger! It has already become so big that it can happen
only every other year due to the tremendous amount of effort that
goes into making a show of this magnitude happen with such perfection.
But thanks to one particular group, the event is going to be even
bigger and better yet.
The show we're talking about is none other than the 2005
World Fish Carving Championships presented by Larry and
Cathy Blomquist of Breakthrough Magazine. The show
of shows, held in conjunction with the World Taxidermy
Championships, attracts world-class contestants
from almost every state in the Union, from Canada, and well over
a dozen other countries from around the world.
The most recent show in 2003 included close to one thousand taxidermy
entries from the best and most talented artists of their kind
found anywhere. The five days of the show are barely enough to
take in all the wonders and excitement on display in the competition
hall, the 20+ how-to seminars, and the huge trade show. The World
Taxidermy Championships have attracted so much attention
that the BBC in England is sending a film crew to this year's
competition to record the show for a televised European viewing
sometime in the Fall of 2005 and plans for a Spring showing scheduled
for the U.S. in 2006.
By comparison, the World Fish Carving Championships
is only three days long, but is heralded as the most challenging
and spectacular fish carving competition to be found world-wide.
The incredibly life-like quality and realism of the entries at
this event are good enough to make real fish jealous, and well
over a hundred carvings from the best of the best have kept previous
spectators scratching their heads and asking, "How in the
world do they do that?" and, "Are you sure that's really
wood?
Left:
Utah Sage root makes a perfect base for this carved Brook Trout. But in World competition, even the driftwood, rocks, water, plants, etc. must be carved entirely from wood and by the artist.
One may wonder how the "World" could
get any bigger, or get any better? Leave it to the largest fish
carving group on the Internet to figure that out.
Larry Blomquist mentioned to one of the owner/moderators of an
online group of carvers that he was interested in increasing the
size of the carving competition, and was looking for ways to stimulate
new and additional interest. A detailed presentation was offered
to Larry and his advisory board who read and approved the proposal,
and the rest of the story is about to become history. As of this
writing, registrations indicate the show may increase in number
of entries by as many as 30 or more carvings, making this the
largest fish only show ever held in the 20+ years of the World
Fish Carving Championships.
Fishcarving2, a Yahoo Group, officially presented
a challenge to the World. It has since become known as the "Invitational
Challenge" and has resulted in three new categories
being added to the competition. Members of the group voted on
the three categories of fish they wished to see as part of the
challenge, representing Cold Water, Warm Water, and Salt Water
fish species. The Arctic Char, Bluegill, and Moorish Idol were
selected as the fish to be carved for this event. New species
for the Challenge will be selected for each subsequent
World Championship competition.
Mailed entries are encouraged and more than welcome for those
who can't attend this competition in person, and entries have
already started coming in. As a result, more than 20 members of
Fishcarving2 are planning to be on hand at the show
to help receive and display mail-in entries.
Two members of Fishcarving2 are among the five professional
carvers conducting how-to seminars during the three days of the
carving show. Four-time World Champion, Jeff Compton, and
pioneer fish carver Dan Blair, will be demonstrating their
skills as part of the daily attractions. (Dan actually plans to
start his Power & Speed Carving seminar blindfolded.)
In addition, 3-time World Champions Bob Berry and Clark
Schreibeis, will be joined by Tom Radomous in demonstrations
that will inspire and motivate carvers to new heights of carving
perfection. (This is the perfect opportunity for carvers to learn
the newest tricks of the trade from the very best of the best.)
Left:
A natural finish carving done in Ponderosa Pine. Without the aid of any inks, paints stains, or dyes it was still perfectly colored and patterned, and used to carve this award-winning carving entitled "School Teacher ~ Cutthroat Trout".
Springfield, Illinois is once again the host
city for this extravaganza, but rumor has it that the 2007 show
is scheduled for a city somewhere in the western U.S., so if you
live anywhere close to Springfield, this may be your best opportunity
to "see the World".
The five days of the World Taxidermy Championships
begin on March 29 with the World Fish Carving Championships
following on March 31. Both events end on April 2 after the awards
banquet on the evening of April 1, during which approximately
$30,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded to the Best In
World winners from the two championships.
Anyone interested in attending or competing in this World event
can find all the pertinent details including rules and regulations
by going online to www.taxidermy.net/wtc/wfcc.html. Additional
information on Yahoo's Fishcarving2 Group can also be found on
the internet at groups.yahoo.com/group/fishcarving2. Membership
in Fishcarvers2 is always free. This is truly one of the
most active associations to be found in the Yahoo woodworking
network with over 150 fish carving members posting an average
of 10 how-to tips, etc. per day. If you would like to sample a
membership, just send an email with your request to Fishcarving2ATyahooDOTcom.
You'll be glad you did.