Whittlin' away

If you can't fiddle, you whittle.

The project of the month was a fanciful carving of a butt-in-the-air doorstopper. That's right, a bikini-clad or boxer-covered bum in the air to hold a door open.

Seriously.

Members of the Mustang Draw Woodcarvers Guild are as diverse as their senses of humor. The youngest member of the club is 29 years old with the oldest coming in at a spry 85. And they come from around the Basin, with the majority coming from Odessa, Midland and Big Spring.

Fred Henderson was in Ruidoso, N.M., six years ago when someone handed him a knife and he started carving. He hasn't stopped since.

"I do it four or five times a week for three of four hours a day... I've made everything from Indians, cowboys, crosses, angels and just about anything," Henderson said.

Henderson, who has lived in Odessa since 1954, said he joined the club for the fellowship with others who enjoy similar hobbies.

"I just enjoy the people. It's something to do with my time," Henderson said.

Members proudly display their collection of carvings and they range from the humorous to the intricate and beautiful. Angels, birds and faces are the norm but a playful rendering of a woman golfer titled "Golf Scratcher" shows a carving of a female golfer who certainly isn't scratching golf balls.

Which makes it clear these woodcarvers don't take themselves too seriously. All agree that carving is something they enjoy and they wouldn't do it if it weren't just a whole lot of fun.

"The good thing about woodcarving is you can do it alone or with somebody. And you don't make mistakes, you just redesign," Odessan Stanley Roper chuckled.

Club president Robert Miles has been carving wood since he was an 8-year-old boy. He first carved a chain out of a stick of wood but has since come a long way. Miles, who lives in Gardendale, said he has carved more things than he can count. Some of his creations even serve a function. He carved, tuned and now plays a flute made in the style of a Native American wood flute.

And all of this can be fashioned out of a chunk of wood.

"It starts with an idea... you've got to have a plan as to what you can get out of a piece of wood," Midland member Jimmy Stewart said as he pointed to a block covered in pencil sketches.

Other members like Robert Barber of Midland, who was attending his second meeting, still have a lot of learning to do. Barber has carved up a few bears and boots but not without taking a few friendly jabs from other members.

"I got made fun of because we were supposed to be making a cowboy boot and I made a woman's boot instead," Barber smiled.

But novices shouldn't fear. Miles insists everyone is welcome and swears he can teach anyone to carve wood.

"We pass it on to other people. This isn't an exclusive club. Anyone who has a desire can do this," Miles said.

Want to join?

>> What: Mustang Draw Woodcarvers Guild.

>> When: 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. the third Monday of each month.

>> Where: Sibley Nature Center, 1307 E. Wadley Ave., Midland.

>> Call: Robert Miles, 563-2517.