WOOD CARVER: KELSO MAN SHAPES WOODEN INDIANS INTO HOBBY

Kenny Schiwitz thought he wanted to buy a cigar-store Indian. But when he learned the near-life-sized carvings cost over $2,000, he thought again.

"We went on a trip to Branson and I watched the carvers there and decided I could do that," he said.

He was right.

Schiwitz creates hand-carved wooden sculptures, including the 6-foot cigar-store Indians he was so intrigued with.

At his Kelso workshop, Schiwitz also carves wooden animals, Santa Clauses and other objects.

"I carve everything from 6-foot Indians to 2-inch hummingbirds," he said. "I don't want to get in a rut and just do one thing."

He creates and carves a different Santa Claus each year.

He uses only hand tools to shape the wood; many carvers use power tools, even chain saws.

"I want to do it more the traditional way, by hand. After you learn to use hand tools, especially for the bigger items, you can take off a lot more wood and do it a lot quicker."

Once the woodworking is finished, Schiwitz uses wood stain and oil paints to finish the carvings.

Carving is a hobby for Schiwitz. But he ends up selling almost everything he makes.

In 1987, well before he started carving anything, Schiwitz bought his carving tools.

"You have to learn how to sharpen your tools before you can even begin to carve," Schiwitz said.

After months of sharpening, Schiwitz thought he was ready to begin. "I did a few small things, but I really wasn't doing what I wanted to be doing."

He enrolled in a class at Branson to learn how to carve his cigar-store Indian. Schiwitz began his first Indian during that class. He still has that carving and periodically works on the piece. But, he said, "It may never be finished."

The first two Indians Schiwitz completed were purchased by Norman Lambert. They are on display at Lambert's restaurant in Sikeston.

"Then Norman asked me to start carving outside the restaurant," recalled Schiwitz. "That's been real good exposure for me."

On a busy Saturday, 10,000 customers may eat at Lambert's.

"I kind of backed into this hobby," Schiwitz said. "Most people start by making things for themselves and for a few friends before they start selling things. I started selling before I had anything for myself."

Most recently he completed a carousel horse for himself. The horse has 57 individual pieces of wood glued together and then carved. He spent over 450 hours completing the piece.

Finally, Schiwitz felt he had something worthy of entering into competition. He entered a contest at Branson and won second place.

"I felt pretty good about that, especially since it was my first competition," he said.

Now that he has mastered the wood carving, Schiwitz is interested in creating more lifelike figures and Indians that reflect his own talents.

"It really is an art when you put in the facial expression and the body stance," Schiwitz said.

Schiwitz said the 6-foot Indians cost between $2,200 and $2,500. The cost seems high, but the wood alone costs $400 and he spends more than 150 hours carving and painting the Indians.

"I would like to do this for a living, but I would have to do a lot of carving," he said.

Schiwitz works at Procter and Gamble.

Schiwitz will be carving at Riverfest June 12-13, and plans to carve at Lambert's throughout the summer.

"Now that I know more about carving, I know that those Indians I thought about buying were not very good quality," Schiwitz said. "I'm glad now I didn't buy one."