11/2013

Two Carvers Have Found Their Niche

Wood is a timeless media that has been used to create everything from toys to houses, but in

the age of mass produced plastic goods, some people like Bill Vittone and his mother Suzanne

Vittone work to keep woodcarving traditions alive and still bring something new to it. Together

they make up the ‘Two’ in Two Carvers team.

Bill is a Lenoir City resident who has been carving wood since he was in the second grade. “My

dad was a construction worker and we lived in Alaska, so I spent my time carving the pieces of

wood he brought home from work into boats that I would float during the thaw.”

Bill is now an artist of one of the oldest traditions with the media and it’s known as deep relief

carving. By carving out an image two inches thick and using a wood burning tool to create

shading, Bill creates an image with incredible depth on a two-dimensional surface.

When someone requests a car or a building in wood, Bill is the artist. When someone wants a

likeness of their dog in a wooden figurine, Suzanne creates it. Suzanne has been a lifelong artist

in painting and ceramics and took to woodcarving as a further extension of her talents.

Bill and Suzanne rely on word of mouth and the internet to sell their crafts. By day, Bill is a

physical therapist and many of his best customers are his clients. Although he says the two

are not connected, it is handy that one of his more popular pieces is an Appalachian traditional

story cane. Each cane is custom made for someone and its length tells a story about the person in

symbols or words burned into the wood. It’s kind of the same concept as a charm bracelet, but

earthier.

At this time of year, Bill keeps a stock of his carved snowman Christmas tree ornaments. Each is

stained with color to be festive and bright. Bill also whittles his evenings away making various

deep relief carvings to fill the many orders that come in for the holidays. And they come from

near and far. A woman in London came upon the Two Carvers Website and placed an order for

one of his plaques.

The Two Carvers’ work does not stop at figurines and plaques; they have entered the realm

of fishing with some handy and creative items. Bill’s fishing lures have already caught a few

walleyes and soon, there will be a special place to hang them. Bill is creating a line of plaques

with deep relief borders and images to display prize winning fish. There will probably even be a

special plaque for “The One That Got Away.”

Signs are another popularly requested item; welcome signs with family names are put into a deep

relief with some eye-catching effects. Birth plaques are popular as well with the baby’s name

spelled out in baby blocks and birth information carved in.

The ideas in wood are never ending. The projects of The Two Carvers span from wood spirits to

NASCAR. Bill was recently commissioned to make a plaque for Dale Earnhardt Junior.

Bill says that his projects can take anywhere between ten to fifty hours working with sharp tools

and scorching heat. “I have a lot of scars,” he said looking at his hands. “But as you get older

you learn what not to do.”

Before taking a Holiday shopping trip to the mall, visit their Website at www.twocarvers.com

and peruse their gallery of over 300 photos. There is bound to be something for everybody on

your nice list. It is a great way to support local business from the comfort of your own computer.