Walt has produced countless figurines, decoys, signs, mantels and relief carvings. Many of his carvings were customized to reflect the personality and life style of the person or family for whom they were commissioned. In 1997, his dream to be a full time carver became a reality. With the encouragement and support from his best friend Kay (now his wife) he began his full time carving career with a carousel builder, in Mansfield, Ohio. Since that time, the list of finished figures that Walt has carved includes horses, sea dragons, dogs, cats, giraffes, lions, goats, etc... These ranged in size from small miniatures to life size figures weighing over 200 lbs. As the main carver and production supervisor, he was also responsible for building and roughing figures for carving kits to be finished by the purchaser. Walt was also the primary carving instructor for the firm's 5-day carving class. During this time, he also supervised many of the restoration projects and performed any replacement carving that was required. In 2002, Walt established his own business as an independent carver. The style he works in depends on his customer's needs and includes everything from rustic to formal. Themes include circus, nautical, carousel, nature, wildlife, and more!
Since 2002, He has completed many commission projects. These include mantels for log and timber frame homes and private get aways, tree stump carvings, cerimonial maces for colleges, and a variety of other projects for private individuals. His standard product list includes, hand mirrors, figures, nautical items, Santa figures. Most reasently he added a product that he calls a "Healing Feather", a small feather made of aromatic red cedar with a small card attached that explains a basic Native American belief about feathers, prayer, and the connectedness of us all.
He has also carved another 22 carousel figures for the carousel manufacturer, (as a sub-contractor) and recieved contracts to teach the students of the carousel company. Walt also offers individual and group carving lessons, and is a stocking dealer of Stubai quality carving tools.
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