American Woodcarving & Art School

Join us for the 2026 Jeff Phares seminar at AWS! Author of several books, including “Carving the Human Face,” Jeff Phares has been teaching students around the country on carving realistic faces for more than two decades.

This year, learn to carve a Biker / Pirate (your choice) mask out of basswood with Jeff Phares!

When: Friday, August 21, 7pm - 10pm
Saturday & Sunday, August 22-23, 9am - 5pm
Cost: $500 ($250 deposit required to secure spot)

To register, contact the American Woodcarving School at 973-835-8555 or [email protected]

**JUNE AWS STUDENT HIGHLIGHT**

What better way to celebrate Flag Day than highlighting our student Chris Chris Fuller , who loves to carve the American flag, including the one on the school’s front door! As a student at AWS since 2015, Chris has enjoyed learning and completing carvings with Jerry, and with Jeff Phares during the special bust-carving seminars, a couple of which are featured here.

“The camaraderie and inspiration from my fellow Saturday classmates are awesome. I’ve made lifelong friends.”

**MAY AWS STUDENT HIGHLIGHT**

This month we are highlighting Chuck, who has been a student for 5 years. During his time at AWS, Chuck has grown an affinity for carving reliefs and holiday items. As a Wednesday evening student, he enjoys “Teddy’s desserts (which his wife bakes), Larry’s Santas and Dremel noises, Moose’s coffee and Jerry’s humor.”

In addition to being a carving student, Chuck also helps out in the woodshop downstairs, often cutting out new student kit pieces and preparing wood for student projects. “He’s our go to guy!” -Jerry

Take a look at some of Chuck’s great carvings!

Congratulations to AWS alumna, Nicky, for her front cover feature in the latest issue of ChipChats! Check out this beautiful seaside-inspired piece, entitled, “Blue Man.”

**MARCH AWS STUDENT HIGHLIGHT**

This month we are highlighting Pam. She has been a student at AWS since 2012, and cherishes the “deep sense of ‘family’ that has been and continues to be a significant component of the school.“

Throughout her years of carving and wood burning, Pam has particularly enjoyed transforming photos into low relief pyrography pieces and/or multi-medium creations. She has taken on a specialization in dog portraits, some of which are featured in this post. Take a look at some of the beautiful, detailed work by Pam!

Take a look at some of our pyrography students’ work-in-progress pieces from last month’s seminar.

Open to all experience levels, our next 6-week Pyrography Seminar will begin March 24th. Please contact AWS to secure your seat! 973-835-8555

**February AWS Student Highlight**

This month we’d like to showcase the carvings from Sol (whose waste mold was featured in our previous post—check it out as well!).

Sol came to AWS in 2012 looking to carve heels of acoustic guitars, but soon turned to carving reliefs, particularly of castles like the Heidelberg Castle (2nd photo). He has taken several seminars at the school and one of his favorite carvings is from a Jeff Phares seminar where he carved a sailor emerging from the sea. “I knew from past classes with Jeff, that he is outstanding at creating carvings in motion. I wanted my carving to be in motion.” In more recent years, Sol has grown an interest in carving clothing, inspired by his own experience carving clothes on busts, and by George Cooke’s work like his award-winning man’s shirt piece that was featured on the cover of Chip Chats in 2023. “I had long admired George Cooke’s carvings of ‘ordinary things.’ They are actually extraordinary in their realism.”

Sol likes that the school offers a chance to meet “people at all stages of their lives… you see some of the wild inventiveness of artists expressed in ways that can be amazing.” Take a look at some of Sol’s diverse carvings over the years!

Sol Goldenberg is working up a waste mold for a wood sculpture he is designing. Take a look at the picture of the mold. It could be a face in the round but it is not. An illusion courtesy of the plaster waste mold. De-molding tonight.

Happy National Hobby Month! If you’re looking for a new hobby to try out, why not join our next pyrography seminar beginning January 13th? Taught by the talented instructor, Cindy, whose pyrography work you can see in our previous October Student Highlight post!

Call or email us at 973-835-8555 / [email protected] to secure a seat!

**December AWS Student Highlight**

We’d like to close out 2025 highlighting: Geri!

Geri has been a student at AWS since 2017 and has taken several specialized seminars held at the school throughout the years. She likes seeing what other students are making and discussing the techniques being used on their pieces. Geri particularly enjoys carving and wood burning on cottonwood bark.

Take a look at some of Geri’s work, including 1st place ribbon-winning “Stairway to Heaven” piece (last photo) done in cottonwood bark!