The Renegade Roundup will be held at the James E. Ward Ag Center in Lebanon, Tennessee, just 23 miles East of Nashville, off Interstate 40, exit 239 north, then 1 1⁄2 miles on right.

The cost of the Roundup is $200.00 with a minimum of $100.00 deposit to secure your place in the seminar with the balance due by  Feb. 1, 2009. Confirmation letters with seminar details (tools, lights, exact location, hours, etc.) and lodging/restaurants/points of interest will be sent later. Download the registration form now!

The Renegade Roundup brings together 6 nationally known caricature carving instructors. Students will carve with a new instructor each of the 5 days.

The instructors include;

Steve Brown, Madisonville, KY
Steve and Martha Brown are from western Kentucky.  Steve has been carving since 1978 and teaching since 1986.  Steve has won numerous national and international awards and is the author of Carving Pen Figures and Carving Figural Kaleidoscopes.  Along with some of the major seminars, he has taught week-end and week long seminars throughout the country.  Steve is the founding and only member of Karicature Karvers of Kentucky.  Chain pulls, bottle stoppers, and Santa figures are just a few of the roughouts you can choose to carve.  Take this opportunity to learn Steve’s simple approach to carving faces and figures.  www.sbrownwoodcarving.com

Mike Shipley, Dora, MO
Mike Shipley is a self taught professional caricature carver and has been carving for over 30 years. He has published 5 carving books and teaches classes across the country. Mike also manufactures the wells carving knife. Mike teaches a fast paced carving style by using bigger cleaner cuts and stresses the importance of making the cuts count. Most students can finish at least one piece per day. With 40 to 50 subjects to choose from Mike’s roughouts are designed in such a way to add enough detail to make it interesting yet simple enough to make it fun. Three things are always stressed in a Shipley seminar 1. Build your confidence. 2. Increase your carving speed. 3 Appreciate your finished piece. www.ozarkcountycharacters.com

Jon Nelson, Colorado Springs, CO
Jon and Donna Nelson live in the shadow of Pikes Peak in beautiful Colorado Springs. CO.  Jon has been carving since 1993 and teaching since 1994.  Currently Jon teaches seminars in seven states, with the list growing yearly.  He regularly teaches at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO; the TWG seminar in Fredericksburg, TX; Creede Woodcarver’s Rendezvous, CO; and War Eagle Seminar in Arkansas.  His carvings can be found in collections across the U.S. and in several foreign countries, and in three galleries.  Jon was Texas State Whittlin’ Champion in 1999, and received the Caricature Carvers of America Merit Award in 2003.  He has a video available called Carving Faces in Cottonwood Bark.  Jon specializes in detailed faces.  He will have 25-30 roughouts available covering everything from cowboys, mountain men and Indians, to gnomes and Santas.  Bring your sense of humor.  www.jonnelsonwoodcarving.com

Gary Falin, Alcoa, TN
Gary and Marilyn Falin live south of Knoxville in eastern Tennessee. Gary has been carving for 30 years and teaching carving for 15 years. For the last few years he has been working as a professional carver and teacher. Prior to carving full time, Gary taught a variety of subjects in secondary school. Gary teaches in carving clubs all over the United States and in several woodcarving schools, such as the J.C. Campbell Folk School and the Tennessee Valley Woodcarving School. As an award- winning carver, Gary has won first place at the International Woodcarvers Congress and the Dollywood Woodcarving Showcase. He also won Best of Show and various other awards at the Caricature Carvers of America Competition in 2003. Gary became a member of the Caricature Carvers of America in 2004.

Phil and Vicki Bishop, Elk City, OK.

Husband and wife team, Phil and Vicki Bishop are full time woodcarvers from Western Oklahoma.

They have traveled the woodcarving circuit exhibiting at shows and teaching caricature woodcarving seminars throughout the United States.

It’s not often you find a husband and wife, both doing what they love to do the best and making a living at it. The long lasting tradition of woodcarving has enabled them to make this happen.

Entirely self taught artists, the Bishops stumbled upon the idea of caricature carving many years ago.  First Phil tried carving in 1992 after being inspired by photos of western style carvings.  Then seven years later, encouraged by Phil’s cornerstone teachings, Vicki picked up a carving tool and started carving away.  It is now 16 years on the road, about 185 days out of the year; the Bishops are full time instructors, teaching up to 25 seminars a year.

Phil became a member of the Caricature Carvers of America in 1998 and became an Emeritus member in 2006.

This couple offers a unique style of team teaching that you are sure to enjoy, they have created over 100 roughouts with a choice of 40 different roughouts for classes.  Phil and Vicki are known for their skill in capturing expression and character in their carvings, giving viewers a chuckle.  Their appeal reaches far beyond Oklahoma as their subjects are often caught in situations that people everywhere can relate to. Both Phil and Vicki have done articles in 3 major carving magazines, with Phil garnering a cover.  Vicki also has her fair share of recognitions under her belt, giving Phil a run for his money. 

Their advice to caricature carvers is “to loosen up, have fun, and reach out for something different”.  Learn to use what you like from other sources to create a style of your own.  Strive to elevate the appreciation of caricature woodcarving to a higher art form. www.bishopwoodcarving.com