By Linda Whitmore
Imagine a little Bavarian village where a woodcarver sits at his workbench chipping away to make a small, wooden Kris Kringl wearing lederhosen – and you have Mt. Angel and one of its newest enterprises, Die Schnitzerwerkstatt, also known as The Carvers’ Workshop.
Seventeen members of Mt. Angel Woodcarvers Association create the wide assortment of hand-carved items that are available for purchase in the little store at 121 N. Garfield St.
The shop’s manager, Kenny Wilson, who carved one of the Glockenspiel’s figures, organized the collaboration. He developed a connection to other carvers through the Mt. Angel project and through his membership in woodworker groups.
“Several of the townspeople had been after me since I moved to town to open the shop,” he said.
Wilson moved to Mt. Angel two years ago and he and his wife live in the Edelweiss apartments. He said it took about a year to organize the carvers and open the shop. It debuted on the first day of the 2008 Oktoberfest.
Wilson has been a woodcarver since 1975 when he took a class at Mendocino Art Community in California. “I carved a duck and entered it in competition. They floated it in a tank and it tipped over,” he laughed, “I was disqualified, but I still have it.”
That dunked duck led to his more than 30 years of woodcarving – mostly birds. With the urging of Mt. Angel residents who knew of Wilson’s skills and through his connections with other carvers, the Mt. Angel Woodcarvers Association was organized. Today the membership ranges from Idaho, Montana, Washington and Oregon. Members pay a monthly fee and can sell their crafts in the shop, non-members too, if they place the articles on consignment.
The divergent styles of artistry result in a variety of articles available for shoppers. There are turned bowls and finely crafted small tables; jewelry boxes and mirrors; delicately carved dragons and functional flutes.
There are waterfowl, walking sticks and wall sconces in the shape of American Indian faces.
Right now, the shop’s front window is filled with Santas and angels – each with its own personality and attire.
The carvers also do commissioned work. Wilson’s just finishing a directional sign for inside City Hall.
In addition to crafted wood items, the shop sells knives, gouges and wood for carving. “Our purpose is to show and sell our art work and provide class instruction to the community,” he said.
There will be classes on chip carving, flute and walking-stick making, and “we’re going to have a class on making a small trinket box.”
The next class starts Dec. 3 and continues on Wednesday mornings. Participants are of all ages and all skill levels, Wilson said. Some are beginning carvers and some “know more than the instructor,” he laughed.
The association plans to increase the number of classes. “We’re just barely into them,” he said. “We hope to have at least one class per day – that may be a little optimistic – but we have locals who are really anxious for the classes.”
He’s happy with the outcome. “This is the kind of shop you would find in a Bavarian village,” Wilson said.
