2023 Annual
Woodcarving Show,
Public Viewing:
Friday, September 22, 2023 12 PM to 6 PM
Saturday, September 23, 2023 10 AM to 5 PM
$3.00 (cash or check) / 10 yrs and under are Free
Project Registration & Exhibitor/Vendor Setup:
(no public viewing)
Thursday September 21, 2023 10 am- 6 pm
Veterans Memorial Building
400 North Main Street
Spanish Fork, Utah
Show Chairman: Gary Heaton
Co-Chairman: Mary Dame
President of the Utah Valley Woodcarving Club:
Dennis Trotter
For more information contact:
Gary Heaton, 385-329-5442 (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
PJ Peery at Treeline USA, 801-373-3348 (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Utah Valley Woodcarvers Club
Mission Statement
The goal of the Utah Valley Woodcarvers Club (UVWC) is to promote and increase interest in and appreciation of woodcarving; including intarsia, woodturning, pyrography, gourd carving and other mediums. This is done through club meetings, shows, classes, demonstrations, newsletters and socializing. All ages, genders and nationalities are welcome. Spouses of members are always welcome to attend and be involved in every way.
Special Events*
Club Members: Experenced carvers will be available at tables to share experience, assist with carving dilemmas, answer questions, and give help in carving throughout the show. They are willing to help you with your carving questions and demonstrate caving techniques.
Featured Carver: Ray Carlsen is our 2023 featured carver. Come and enjoy Ray's magnificent carvings.
Vendors: There will be venders with a variety of woodcarving items.
*These events are subject to change.
Registration Information
Speed up your Registration, register online by going to our Website: uvwc.org/registration or click on Show Registration on the menu.
Fill out the information and answer any questions asked when you click the "I'm not a robot" box. Then click submit. You will be sent an acceptance email within a couple days. (If you do not receive this email within a couple day, check your spam and junk mail folders. If you have not received it, please contact Russ Long at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and he can help you). When you come in to bring your entries we will have your paperwork for you and you can pay fees then. You may also register your entries on Thursday the 21st.
Entry Fees: The entry fee for each piece registered is as follows
Members: $4.00 online registration or $6.00 at the door.
Non Club Members: $5.00 online registration or $6.00 at the door.
All fees will be paid when the project is brought to the show.
Registration: All entries must be registered online or in person on Thursday, September 21st between 10 am and 6 pm. Entries checked in later, will be for “Display Only” and will not be judged.
All entries must be registered in the name of the person who did the work. Entrants are responsible for bringing pieces to be judged to the Entry Table, with a Project Registration Form completed (this holds up to 10 entries). Volunteers will help entrants fill out a Claim Check Form, one per entry. Please cover all identifying marks or names with masking tape. You can speed up the registration process by registering online at uvwc.org/registration or by having your Project Registration Form filled out before going to the Entry Table. A registration Form can be downloaded here:
All entries must remain on exhibit for the entire show, until 5:00 pm, Saturday. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!! Registration Claim Receipt(s) must be shown to remove carving(s) from the show.
Each registered entrant will receive one Show Entrance Ticket and one free Drawing Ticket (for drawing held Sat. at 4pm.)
Vendor/Exhibitor: First Come First Served! Pre-payment required which is $50 per table. We welcome Vendors who sell carving related items and Exhibitors who want to showcase or sell their work. Contact Gary Heaton at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Set up is Thursday, September 21st between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm. There is a door on the east side of the building to be used by vendors and setup people only, to bring in their displays. Please do not park by that door any longer than to unload your equipment. Tables may not be dismantled until after the show, Saturday 5:00 pm. Make sure you get a tax registration form from Gary Heaton at the time of setup or when you pay for your tablespace.
Mail-In Instructions: Entries must be small enough to be picked up and handled by one person. Entrants must pay to ship their pieces both ways and must include completed Registration Form. Send a check or money order for return shipping. Mail-ins must be packed properly to keep project from being damaged and received prior to 4:00 pm on Wednesday September 16th, 2023. Damaged pieces will not be judged. If piece a arrives damaged, it will be the entrants’ responsibility to make a claim with the shipper. For information contact: PJ Peery at 1-800-598-2743 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Photographs: all entries submitted will be photographed and will be used by the club without further consideration to the carver.
Selling: If entrant wants to sell any piece, a business card may be placed next to the piece after the judging is done. The club officers or members cannot be responsible for checks issued for the sale of carvings during the show. Any tax is the sole responsibility of the vendors and exhibitors.
News Release: The ONLY official news releases or announcements are those approved by the Show Chair, President or designated representative.
Judging: Please remember our judges are not professionals. Judges give their best but are not perfect and are not experts in all fields of carving, burning, turning, intarsia, etc. Learn from them, do not abuse them. Judges will fill out a scorecard for each entry and place it by the entry after it is judged. Most of the judges will be available throughout the show and would be glad to talk with you about your entries as well as the show chairman Gary Heaton. Enjoy the show and “Strut your Stuff”!
Liability: The participating club, officers, members, or the Host Facility, cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage from any cause before, during or after the show.
Problems: Any problems, disagreements, complaints or special attention must be filed with the Show Chair for review. A review of Skill Level must be filed in writing to the Show Chair.
Competition Guidelines
1. Eligibility: This is an open show and everyone is eligible to enter under “Competition Guidelines”. Membership in the club is not required but encouraged.
2. Skill Levels of Entry: ribbons are counted from all UVWC shows entered.
- Youth: For those 16 years and younger. All entries will be judged as one category unless there are more than 15 entries, in which case they may be broken into Divisions by the judges. Youth must move up to Novice at age 17, but may move up before that if they wish.
- Novice: Any entrant may enter his/her projects at this skill level with 2 years or less experience or until he/she has won 5 First Place ribbons or won 2 Best of Division in Novice. Advancement is to Intermediate.
- Intermediate: An entrant may enter his/her projects at this skill level until he/she has won 6 First Place ribbons or won 3 Best of Division in Intermediate. Advancement is to Advanced.
- Advanced: An entrant may stay in the Advanced skill level until he/she has won 10 First Place ribbons or won 3 Best of Division in the Advanced category. Advancement is to Expert.
- Expert: An entrant moves to Expert when he/she has won 10 or more First Place ribbons or 3 or more Best of Division in Advanced.
4. Entries: An entrant may enter a total of one carving in a Skill Level above their recorded Skill Level, if they wish to see how it will do. If the piece wins a first, second or third, in a level above the carvers “recorded skill level”, the carver will be required to move to that skill level the next show year. An entrant cannot step down to a lower Skill Level, even if the person has changed to a different style of work. Each entrant’s projects must all be entered in the same Skill Level with the above exception.
5. Repeat Entries: A carver may enter a carving from a previous show to see if a better award can be won, unless the carving won any of the “ Best of” categories. We encourage all of your carvings to be shown at the show no matter how long ago you carved them. If you want to have them judged you will need to pay the entry fee. If you just want them to be shown we will have a “Display only Table” available and a small card for your name to place in front of your carvings.
6. Collaborative pieces: If an entry is the work of two or more people, all names must be on the registration. All group entries will be entered at the level of the most advanced entrant.
7. Seminar or Class Pieces & Rough outs: Rough outs, class pieces and instructor assisted pieces are now considered in each Division with their own category. Because of the amount of work it takes to carve a blank or a pattern from a book, these entries will be considered as original work, unless they are done in a class with an instructor.
8. Skill Level Standing: If an entrant believes they are subject to unfair competition or are being forced to compete above their present ability, they may petition the Show Chair for a review of their Skill Level.
9. Changes: A judge or show chairman may move a piece to a more appropriate Section, Division, or Category, if deemed necessary for equality of the competition. Categories may be added, combined, or deleted depending on the number of entries in the category.
10.. This is a family show. Entrants are asked to use good judgment. The Judges and/or Chairman may refuse any entry deemed not appropriate and their decisions shall be final.
11. Judging: Entrants will not be allowed to view carvings (other than the Judges and Assistants) prior to public viewing. No critique will be given during the judging.
12. Non-Wood Materials: Limited use of non-wood materials allowed on carvings (i.e. metal feet, glass eyes, habitat) as it pertains to categories such as birds, fish, canes/staff, jewelry, etc is acceptable.
13. Bases/ Hangers: Entries must be securely affixed to any base used. All egg entries are to be encased for safety and are to be placed in the display area by the artist. All wall-hangings, plates, etc. must include a display stand or plate holder furnished by entrant.
14. Display: Arrangements must be made in advance for special handling, especially for large, delicate, or unusual pieces. If an entrant wants to place their own entry on the table, they must have a Show Volunteer escort them and are asked to leave the area right after the entry is placed. No viewing of the show will be allowed before 12 noon on Friday.
15. Carving Terms:
- In the UVWC Show, the word “Carving” embraces wood and non-wood carving, pyrography, wood turning, intarsia, and marquetry
- Abstract / Stylized: creation of form but not the detail
- Caricature: a distortion or exaggeration of distinguishing features
- Found Wood: driftwood, root, or any form of natural weathered wood
- Relief: carving on a flat surface to give an illusion of depth. Carved from a single piece of wood. High Relief: cut depth 1” or more, undercut 3/8” or more undercut 3/8" or more. Low Relief: cut depth less than 1”, undercut less than 3/8”
- Realistic: work detailed to the extent of closely resembling the real object and/or its habitat
- Scene/group: 2 or more animal, plant, human, etc. on a common base
- Smoothie: finished animal or bird with no burning or carving on surface
- Miniature: Figure must be under 2” in any dimension.
- Religious: depicts religious theme, includes angels, Kachinas, totems, crosses, etc
- Mythical: Santa, elf, fairy, gnome, wizard, witch, snowman, troll, mermaid, Uncle Sam, dragon, leprechaun, clown, unicorn, bark houses, etc.
- Wood Burned: wood burning is the featured portion of the entry
- Intarsia and Marquetry: style involving mosaics in wood
- Fretwork, Scrollsaw: flat work, cutting out holes for design
- Woodturning: work turned on a lathe
- Chip Carving: a style of carving in which knives are used to remove small chips of wood from a flat surface
- Stylized: a visual depiction without accurate representation, with simplifications in shapre, lines, color pattern and surfaces details
Each entry is judged on it's individual merit according to the judging criteria and not against other carvings.
JUDGING CRITERIA
1. Originality/Design
A. Is this an original design or concept?
B. Rough out, cut out, pattern, class or instructor assisted?
C. Is there unusual or exceptional interpretation of the subject?
D. Does the piece show action, head turned, arms and legs in motion? (Chris Hammack says, "twist, turn, tilt")
2. Execution/Workmanship
A. Is the carving well done; clean cuts, clean lines, and attention to details? No rough or fuzzy areas.
B. How difficult is the piece to carve?
C. Does the use of grain, color of surface, knots or defects enhance the appeal of the piece?
D. Does the use of light, shadow and color add to the effects the design?
3. Anatomy/Shape
A. With the exception of caricatures or fantasy, all other carvings, regardless of subject, i.e., humans, animals, birds, fish reptiles, insects etc, should be anatomically correct.
B. If a carving includes structures such as buildings, lighthouses, bridges, docks etc, they should be of correct shape and proportions.
C. If the piece is stylized it should resemble the objest enough to recognize what it is, such as a dog, cat etc.
4. Surface/Finish
A. A carving with a natural stained finish should show the grain pattern of the wood. There should be no runs,drips or missed areas. Stained carvings should also use colors that compliment the wood.
B. Painted carvings should exhibit clean lines between areas such as color changes one to another.
C. Carvings of animals, birds, fish and related subjects should exhibit correct colors and shading.
5. Artistic Presentation
A. Regardless of base habitat or other features, the carving should catch your eye.
B. The habitat, etc should be arranged in a way to take the eye back to the carving.
C. The artistic appeal or the general all over look of the carving is the judges critique.
Show Registration
ENTRY CLASSIFICATIONS
Youth (Division K), Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, and Expert
Division A – All Birds
100 Realistic
101 Stylized, smoothie
102 Caricature
103 Other (group/scene)
104 Rough-out/Class or instructor assisted
Division B- All Fish, including Whales and Dolphins
200 Realistic
201 Stylized
202 Caricature
203 Other (group/scene)
204 Rough out/Class or instructor assisted
Division C – Reptiles and Amphibians (snakes, frogs, Salamanders and newts)
300 Realistic
301 Stylized
302 Caricature
303 Other (group/scene)
304 Rough out /Class or instructor assisted
Division D – Animal
400 Realistic
401 Stylized
402 Caricature
403 Other (group/scene)
404 Rough out/Class or instructor assisted
Division E– Human (all nationalities)
500 Realistic
501 Stylized
502 Caricature
503 Other (other styles, groups/scenes)
504 Rough out/Class or instructor assisted
Division F – Walking Sticks and Canes
600 Realistic
601 Stylized
602 Caricature
603 Natural finish
604 Rough out/Class or instructor assisted
Division G– Mythical/Religious (any finish)
700 Mythical Characters , (elf, gnome, fairy, wizard, witch, snowman, troll, Mermaid, Uncle Sam, clown, leprechaun, dragon, unicorn, etc.)
701 Santa, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Mrs. Claus, etc.
702 Christmas Ornaments
703 Religious Theme (crosses, plaques, angels, kachinas, totems, etc.)
704 Rough out/Class or instructor assisted
Division H – Special Type (any finish)
800 Relief carving (high or low)
801 Chip Carving
802 Spoons
803 Gunstocks
804 Rough out/Class or instructor assisted
805 Folk Art, Simple decorative, Utilitarian, Rustic
Division I Furniture (chests, boxes, mirrors, doors, mantels, clocks, frames, tables etc)
900 Carved
901 Burned
902 Painted
903 Natural Finish
Division J Miniatures (must be carved from a 2’ block of wood or smaller)
1000 Realistic
1001 Stylized
1002 Caricature
1003 Other (group /scene)
Division K – Special Type (any finish, machine assisted)
1100 Wood Burning, Pyrography
1101 Intarsia, Marquetry
1102 Fretwork and Scroll saw
1103 Wood Turning
1104 Chain Saw Carving
Division L- Non Wood, Natural Material
1200 Bone, Antler, Ivory, Tagua nuts (all)
1201 Eggs (all eggs must be fixed to a base and moved into place by the carver.)
1202 Gourds (all)
1203 Other, must be carved or burned
Division M – Whittling ( items done with knife only, no sanding; such as; chains, balls in cage, fans etc)
1300 Realistic
1301 Stylized
1302 Caricature
1303 Other (group or scene)
Division N – Miscellaneous (entries not covered in any other categories. boots , shoes, flowers, saddles, etc.)
1400 Realistic
1401 Stylized
1402 Caricature
1403 Other (group/ scene)
1404 Rough out/Class or instructor assisted
An entry cannot be entered into Miscellaneous if there is a category appropriate to be put into.
Division O– Youth (16 and under)
1500 Realistic
1501 Stylized
1502 Caricature
1503 Other
1600 Realistic
1601 Stylized
1602 Caricature
1603 Other
1700 Structures
1701 Human
1702 Other
1704 Roughout / Class / or instructor assisted
Show Registration
| Best of Show | Best of Divisions |
| Best of Novice | People's Choice |
| Best of Intermediate | DNR - Choice |
| Best of Advanced | Children's Choice |
| Best of Expert | Artist's Choice |