European Carving in the Grinling Gibbons Style

Master Wood Carver Alexander Grabovetskiy was once awarded the “International Woodcarver of the Year” award by the Woodworker’s Institute. He is now living the dream life of a professional wood carver as he hand carves elaborate furniture and architectural elements for luxury homes and historical buildings around the world. His work is highly sought after because of its life-like appearance.

But things were not always so favorable for this award-winning wood carver. In 1973 Alexander was born into a family of craftsmen & artists in the small Soviet town of Dimitrovgrad. His great grandfather, an expert wood Carver, trained Alexander in ornamental wood carving from the age of six years old.   See his story here….www.MaineCoastWorkshop.com  (check out the blog post on Alex)

Alex covers, in detail, a different form for every class he teaches.  So he has a large following who take many of his classes because they learn something new each time while reinforcing the basics.  They have found that this is the best way to rapidly improve their carving ability.

​As he carves his life-like masterpieces, Alexander only uses hand tools, and he never sands his pieces, believing that the tool marks make each piece distinctive. “It is the same as brush marks on canvas in fine art,” he says.

Alexander’s classes are designed for any carver or furniture maker who wants to take his or her carving skills to the next level. Alexander will introduce the student to the design process and ways to embellish their furniture as well as give it character.

He will start by sharing his sharpening techniques which he calls “sharpening on steroids.” This is a production style of sharpening that is fast and precise. Demonstrations will also include how to properly use carving gouges. This class will also cover tool selection, how to work with wood grain issues, planning the cut, safe carving techniques, how to clamp the wood without damaging the carving, and subtle tips and tricks in getting the best use out of your gouges.

Students will quickly move on to a more advanced relief carving of a classical design.

Alexander will explain how to think through a carving project in order to make the carving process the most efficient. He will also demonstrate how to carve the linen-fold design, how to carve grapes or beads, and how to carve lettering. Key Points:

• Sharpening gouges
  How to properly hold gouges for safety & efficiency
  How to lower down background for relief carving
  How to work with wood grain issues
  How to carve a basic floral decoration
  How to carve an advanced classical decoration
  Tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your gouges
  Demonstrations on linen-fold design, grapes, and letter and other carving styles as time permits