For the Miami Valley Today

PIQUA — In conjunction with the Piqua Arts Council, professional wood carver Jim Foster is hosting a wood carving workshop from Thursday, Aug. 12, through Saturday, Aug. 14. The workshop will be held in his studio, the Matador Hair Studio in Piqua, and will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

Foster, owner of the Matador Hair Studio in Piqua, is a wood carver of many years. Foster also teaches wood carving classes and has been doing so for 13 years. Over the past seven years, he has been forming three dimensional pieces that many people enjoy recreating. Foster loves showing people how to make a piece of wood come alive.

In his youth, Foster was very interested in drawing and did a lot of it to pass the time. He then graduated high school, went off to Barber College, and worked for three months’ time. Next, Foster served in the Army for three years and married his girlfriend at the time, with whom he had three great children. From then on, he stayed in the barber business, as well as occasionally helping his brother-in-law build houses on his days off.

When Foster was about 50 years old, he got together with his best friend, who taught him a little bit about carving. The art interested Foster, and once he started to carve, he loved it, and began developing a great skill for it. One day, he adventured to Branson, MO, and found himself carving there for a week. Though he was nervous, he became impressed with his own skill. In Branson, he was introduced to carving with rough outs, which then made it a lot easier for him.

After six years of practice with different types of carvings for others, Foster began to design his own pieces for others to carve. Since then, he has made many rough outs of various shapes and sizes. Foster continues to practice wood carving in his studio at the Matador in Piqua, where he hosts a weekly wood carving class every Wednesday night. There, nearly every day is filled with a wood carving adventure.

Jim’s Wood Carving Workshop will cost $200 per person or $255 with supplies included. The workshop will hold a maximum of 15 participants. Registration can be found on the Piqua Arts Council website at www.PiquaArtsCouncil.org/workshops. Please make sure to pay your deposit in order to reserve your spot in the workshop.