Welcome To My Web-Page
About Me
I became interested in drawing, painting and sculpting when I was in the 8th grade. I started carving when I was in high school, carving pieces of shale. I received an art scholarship for art collage after graduation from high school, but went into the Army (82nd Airborne) instead of going to collage. It was not until 1988 before I stated carving again, it was to help me deal with chronic back pain from an injury that I incurred while Army.
I first started carving ostrich eggs and then carving in wood. In 1988 I entered my egg carvings in the South Dakota Central States Fair and won best of Show. In 1989 I entered my first wood carving, Flushing Phesants, in the Wood Carving Division 20 at the South Dakota Central States Fair and won the People's Choice Award. I have since won various woodcarving competition awards, Best of Show, People’s Choice, Judge’s Choice and Best of Master Class in addition to numerous first and second place awards. I have attended many classes from well know professional carvers that travel around the nation.
I am a member of the National Wood Carvers Association and member of the Affiliated Wood Carvers. I now teach whisical bark carving classes through the Hay Camp Woodcarvers carving club in Rapid City S.D.. I have been the Superintendent for the Woodcarving Division 20 at the South Dakota Central States Fair Open Class in Rapid City since 2011.
My Carvings
I love cotton wood bark. The rough outside of the bark and the red inside make it one of my favorite media to carve. What I like most about carving in cottonwood bark is that every piece of bark has a different shape and size, there are never two that are the same. The bark tells you were to carve it, so all of my Whimsical House carvings have a personality all it's own and are unique one of a kind pieces of art.
Please take some time and look at some of my work. If you have any questions or would like me to make something for you, please contact me.
Contact me! robertgdevries@gmail.com
