Where carving wood is a sellout event

Yo Takimoto starts by asking his students to pick out a knife and a piece of wood -- mahogany, cottonwood or manzanita, perhaps. Then comes lesson No. 1: Let the wood speak for itself.

For Takimoto, the point of carving isn't just the beauty of a finished design but also the rewards of the process, which for many is three hours of peace and quiet contemplation. No wonder the master wood carver's classes in Venice sell out so regularly. Veronique de Turenne explains the appeal of the workshops and the story of their leader, pictured above in the foreground.

Students might work with plum, sequoia, juniper or bristlecone pine, each bringing its own personality into play.

Students use knives and chisels to create sculptural shapes that are then finished in beeswax. Here's one more link to our profile.

Photo credit: Sachiyo Itabashi

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Comments

[E. D.]

We love this class. The process is wonderful, and absolutely amazing to be able to complete something so beautiful at the end of just 3 hours. Thank you! (I wish it was still our secret, but glad for Master Yo to be "discovered"!) Our son, Bendow, has been carving spoons with our teacher since he was around 10 years old. He wrote about the class for his college entrance essay.