For the past 17 years, Mary Dame of Spanish Fork has been holding a woodcarving show to showcase talented carvers and give budding carvers a look into a world that Dame says has changed her life for the better. 

The annual event that is held by the Utah Valley Woodcarvers Club, will be on Friday, September 20, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, September 21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m at the Veterans Memorial Building. The event is for all ages and abilities, and this year, Dane is the featured artist.

Dane, who is a 78-year-old Spanish Fork native, began woodcarving in 1992 when she went to an art class with her husband in nearby Benjamin. 

“My husband was taking an oil class in Benjamin, and asked me if I wanted to go down with him to take the class,” Dane recalled. “While we were there, there was a father and a son named Keith and Craig Hone, who owned the studio, and were renting out space for a lady to teach oils. I was interested in carving, so I went down and took a couple of classes and I fell in love with carving. There were so many beautiful pieces all around and I just couldn’t believe the skill that was there.”

Dane, who was an operating room nurse at the time, took such a liking to woodcarving, that she took an entire week off of work to improve upon her newfound skills. 

“I went to Benjamin and learned to carve birds,” she said. “I started carving birds and I did nothing but birds for about 10 years.

Dane would often travel to learn from carvers in different states, and said that along the way, she has forged friendships that have lasted decades. 

 “I met a lady by the name of Susan Hendrix who happened to be teaching one of the bird classes that I went to in Denver,” she said. “She lived in Provo, and I didn’t even realize it. She showed me how to use knives and chisels and everything else to carve, which is something that I’ve been doing ever since.

“She’s such a great teacher and she’s still teaching,” she continued. “We still go places together and we just got back from Colorado. It’s just been such a fun adventure and we usually get in probably a couple of classes a year.”

Over the past several decades, Dane has played both the role of student and teacher as she has done what she can to pass down or pay forward the joy that woodcarving has brought to her life. 

“I go over to the senior citizen center Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the mornings from about nine until noon to teach,” she said. “That’s just what I like to do. I like to share my skills with people and I never charge. I just feel like it’s something that God gave me as a gift and I can pass it on.”

Dane also teaches classes at Treeline USA on 1221 E 1120 S. in Provo on Monday mornings from 9 a.m. until noon and on Thursday from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. The monthly meeting for the Utah Valley Woodcarvers Club is also held there once a month on the second Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. 

“I go and carve over there and if anybody needs help, I help them, and so do other experienced carvers,” she said. “There’s always somebody who will stop what they’re doing and just help people learn. The only thing they have to pay for is the wood that they use.”

“The meeting only takes about 10 to 15 minutes, and then we always have a project that we’re teaching people how to carve,” she continued. “There’s also places where people can just sit and carve if they want to just do their own thing, but we usually have quite a few people who want to learn. It’s a fun place to be.”

The annual woodcarving show 

With Dane as the featured carver at the woodcarving show, she will bring with her several of her favorite pieces to display, including a replica of Noah’s Ark, many of her favorite birds, and much, much more. 

“I have a horse’s head that is one of my favorites because it turned out so beautifully,” she said. “It was made with Sycamore and it had some gray in it from aging and so I left it in its own color and it is just a beautiful piece. I really do like it. …  I’m always trying new things. I haven’t perfected anything really; I’ve just tried a whole bunch of new things and I would always love to try something different. If I see something different, I like to try it.”

Along with Dane’s display, the show will also feature other local artists, as well as classes led by skilled craftsmen and women. Dane wants any and all who have an interest to come. The event is $3 per person, with children 10 and under being free. Those who want to enter pieces into the wood carving contest can do so online or at the door for $5 for UVWC members and $6 for nonmembers. 

“It’s for families and any folks who want to come,” she said. “Thursday, the 19th is the day that anybody who wants to, can register something that they’ve carved or painted, and we have categories from novice to ex expert.”

As for the classes, Dane explained that there will be lots of experienced carvers and wood burners there to help people learn how to wood burn throughout Friday afternoon and Saturday. 

For more information on the show, or the Utah Valley Woodcarvers Club, go to uvwc.org.