I was honored to present a Workshop and Scrimshaw demonstration at the bi-monthly meeting of the NC Knifemakers' Guild, held at the home and shop of VP Bob Hamm in Hendersonville, NC on July 18, 2009. This was a one day event, and it was really a wonderful day, and educationally as well. The 25 members gathered in the morning to begin making a custom knife; each member was asked to do a part of the manufacturing process - truly a "hands on" experience. The craftsmanship was amazing, and the knife was completed in just a little over four hours!  Completed, that is, except for my scrimshaw on the Micarta (a man-made ivory) handle. I now have a whole new appreciation of the artisans who create these beautiful works of art; the knives are too aesthetically pleasing to be called simply,"knives."

After a friendly lunch and a short business meeting, it was time for me to get down to work. I was asked to present a short talk on the Original American Art of Scrimshaw, do an engraving on the new knife, and also direct the members in producing their own piece of Scrimshaw on a piece of Micarta. For a group of brand new scrimshanders, the results were varied and remarkable; congratulations to all!

Following my talk about Whalers and Whaling, and the origin of the Art of Scrimshaw, I began to make my scrimshaw on the newly completed knife. I decided to do a mountain scene, appropriate to the Appalachian site of the meeting. After laying out the scene in pencil, I began to engrave. This gave the guild members an opportunity to observe what they would be doing. After my scrimshaw was about 1/3 done, I stopped and gave each man tools and instructions on how to do their own scrimshaw. They began, silent and focused. The result of the completed works was amazing: 25 first time scrimshaws which each member took home, and a custom knife which will be auctioned off at the next guild meeting.

An Aside: if you have not been to Hendersonville recently (this was Jo, my wife's, and my first visit), and are fond of the movement to renovate and renew urban downtowns, a visit to Hendersonville is suggested; it's located about 20 miles south of Asheville on I-26. I have followed and been involved in urban development for many, many years, and this is one of the most I've ever seen. On Saturday evening, after the day's events, we arrived downtown at about 6PM, and the "joint was jumping."  Young (!) and old, and in-betweens filled the streets. We enjoyed a great selection of restaurants and art galleries - many open! - and numerous, interesting shops. "Wow," is all we could say.

That's all for now, friends; thank you for visiting my site - I'm continuing to add new pieces, and preparing for the next events, a Winston-Salem exhibition called "ArtsFest" September 26. Following ArtsFest the Crozet Art Festival will be held near Charlottesville, VA October 10-11; this will be my first time doing this juried show, and I expect great things there!

Thanks for your patronage!

Pete