River Valley Carvers turn wood into art

While some River Valley Carvers create relief carvings of landscape scenes, others practice chipping away at a block of wood until it turns into a miniature bird or small animal. There are members of the Southeast Missouri woodcarving club who carve life-size cigar store Indian chiefs, and others who have handmade Santa Claus ornaments ready and waiting year-round.

Dave Ledure and his wife, Sharon, of Jackson helped start the club in 1993. Dave Ledure said the best thing about the organization is that it is laid-back. The first Thursday of every month, about 35 members gather for a social meeting followed by show and tell.

"Everyone carves whatever they like, and they bring it in to show everyone else and talk about how they did it," Ledure said. He just finished a relief scene of Bollinger Mill and brought a collection of Christmas ornaments to the most recent meeting. Sharon also makes ornaments, carves small animals and helps paint Ledure's projects.

The Ledures take their creations to woodcarving shows -- such as one in Belleville, Ill., in November -- with other members of the club. Other times they will travel to Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo., or participate in "living history days" around the region, demonstrating carving techniques and tools.

Member Shirley Stanfield said woodcarving is an important part of history that was disappearing but is now making a comeback.

"It's a dying art making a resurgence," she said. "We've been here as a club and growing now for a while."

Ledure said the club has novice to experienced carvers of all ages, and members have always helped one another learn better techniques and how to carve different styles.

"There are so many different styles, there's relief, in the round, there's chip carving. Most of us do it as a hobby, and you just do whatever strikes your interest," he said.

Relief is when a picture is carved into the wood. In the round means a statue has been carved out of the trunk of a tree or a large tree branch. Chip carving uses a chisel to chip away at hard wood and gives the piece a distinctive look and texture.

Club members pay $8 a year to cover the cost of refreshments at meetings. Members must carve their own name tag to wear to meetings, and they have to pay a quarter to the club treasurer should they forget to wear it.

Many members said they spend more time carving in winter because they're inside more.

From October through March, one Saturday a month is dedicated to a carving workshop, also known as a "carve-in," where members will get together to work side by side.

Ledure said people who want to learn to carve wood or are beginners would benefit from joining the club because they can learn from the other members and borrow tools and materials to carve, which can be costly to go out and purchase on their own.

The club also teaches safety.

"People that don't keep their tools sharp are the ones who get hurt. They need to always wear a carving glove, and keep those tools sharp, because I've seen too many people cut themselves. It can happen very fast," Ledure said.

He said people who are interested in joining the club should come by meetings a few times to see if it is something they are interested in.

"It's good for everyone to get involved in," Sharon Ledure said. "People just drop in as they please, and that's fine."

This fall, the club will host a demonstration and putting their carvings on display at the Cape Girardeau Public Library on Oct. 13. The carvings will go in display cases earlier in the day, and members will be on hand beginning at 7 p.m. to talk about their work and do demonstrations.

The club meets at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of ever month at the Elks Lodge in Cape Girardeau. To contact the club, call 243-1616.

MORE ONLINE

To see more examples of Dave and Sharon Ledure's woodcarvings, go to semissourian.com.