Woodcarver List Who's Who: T

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thewoodcraftshop aka Big Dog aka Larry Yudis

My wife Carol and I got interested in woodcarving 28+ years ago when we started our business, The Woodcraft Shop, located in Bettendorf, Iowa. After being in the lumber business for 15 years and Carol being a registered nurse, we wanted to "do our own thing" which prompted the start of a specialty woodworking store.

After about 10 years of handling all sorts of woodworking specialty items, we found that woodcarving is where we really wanted our energies to be focused. We had been attending many woodcarving shows throughout an 11 state area. We came to find that woodcarvers are some of the nicest people a person can know. We have gained a huge family of friends over the years.

I have taken classes from many carvers over the years: Wayne Barton, Tom Brown, John Burke, Kirt Curtis, Harold Enlow, Bob Guge, Rick Harney, Rick Jensen, Jeff Phares, Harley Refsal, Joe Wannamaker, etc. etc. ... and I still can't carve worth a hoot! I guess I should follow through with practice after the classes. :o)

Our biggest commitment to the woodcarving community is our involvement in the International Woodcarvers Congress. Carol and I have been Show Chairpersons of that event for more years than we can remember. In addition to those duties, Carol is the Membership Secretary and Treasurer of the Affiliated Wood Carvers, Ltd., the organization that runs the Congress. It is the longest running, most prestigious, competitively judged woodcarving art show on the North American continent. We are very proud to be a part of such an organization.

To sum things up, woodcarving has been a very close and intregal part of our lives both professionally and personally. We would not be the persons we are today without having experienced the friendships that woodcarvers have brought into our lives.

Carol and Larry Yudis

thomsons44 aka Skincarp, aka Hugh Thompson

During the final yrs of practicing Paediatric plastic surgery as a Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto, I was asked to do some "rough cuts" on my band saw by Sandy Murray, one of Canadas great carvers at the time. Not knowing what rough cuts were, I said, "Come on down Saturday and we'll do it" ---in thanks he showed up several months later with a maple leaf bon-bon dish with a hand coming out of the centre--a beautiful creation and it was the logo of the American Society of Hand Surgeon (which he got from my wife.) I asked, "Where did you buy this" and he said "I carved it"

That started me on an exciting retirement lateral arabesque---since that time I became a director of the Ontario Woodcarvers Assoc. and am a woodcarving teacher of kids and adults, thus doing a lot of reconstruction in basswood and butternut rather than living tissue---as a Rotarian my time seems to be full--thanks God and the List--Hugh (aka--skincarp)