Four Great Days of Carving at the 2026 Evart Wood Carving Roundup

I recently returned from another enjoyable week at the Evart Wood Carving Roundup in Evart, Michigan, where I spent four days carving with CCA Instructor Floyd Rhadigan. The Roundup is always one of the highlights of my carving year, providing an opportunity to learn new techniques, exchange ideas with fellow carvers, and enjoy the camaraderie that makes woodcarving such a rewarding hobby.

This year’s class with Floyd resulted in two new caricature carvings that will soon find their place on the Michigan Woodworks carving bench for final detailing and paint.

Santa’s Christmas Eve Recovery

The first carving is Santa’s Christmas Eve Recovery, a weary Santa relaxing in his rocking chair after a long night of delivering gifts around the world. With his feet warming by a pot-belly stove, this piece captures that well-earned moment of rest after Christmas Eve’s busiest night. The carving is largely complete, although I still need to finish the base and make a few final carving refinements before moving on to paint.

Cool Peace Cat

The second project is Cool Peace Cat, a laid-back feline flashing the peace sign and spreading good vibes wherever he goes. This fun caricature was a pleasure to carve and still requires a few finishing touches before it is ready for paint and final detailing.

As always, I came home from Evart with much more than a couple of new carvings. The Roundup provided fresh inspiration, new ideas, and renewed enthusiasm for future projects. Events like these remind me how much there is still to learn and how fortunate we are to be part of a community that is willing to share knowledge, encouragement, and friendship.

Now it’s time to get back to the carving bench and and complete these carvings… and then bring these new characters to life with paint.