The Series Summer Arts School is on at Red Deer College until Aug. 3rd.
As part of the series, Sculptor Shane Wilson was at RDC July 9-13 from Vancouver Island to teach antler carving at RDC.
“As part of the course we talk about the tools used, we talk about the materials and how to work them, we talk about how to design and how to make compositions in a medium that’s always different, how to finish it and present it,” said Wilson.
He added that the week-long course sees different artists from across Alberta and beyond.
With a wide variety of mediums to choose from, the Series provides five-day workshop for both experienced and amateur adult artists.
Steven Havens, an artist from Texas, travelled out to RDC last week for the antler carving course.
He found out about the courses online.
He and his wife are both artists in Texas, and worked on making art out of shedded moose antlers, taking rotary tools and drilling into them to make art.
“If I would have known about this College we’d be Canucks right now,” said Havens.
Antler carving has been something Havens has been attempting to do back home and wanted to come to RDC to learn some of the basics and refine his skills through Wilson.
The various pieces made by the adult artists are sculptural pieces, used as decorative art pieces.
Back home in Texas, Havens and his wife raise white tail deer and longhorn cattle.
And he does something similar when it comes to his artwork.
“I carve into longhorn skulls. We also carve into deer skulls and their antlers,” he said, adding that he and his wife were painters and wanted to move into different forms of art.
The project he worked on last week was carving out a doe and two fawns in a corn field, which he drafted up on a giant moose antler.
The instructors of the courses will also present and share images of their work with students on Thursday evenings and students will have the chance to display their newly created art. These events will be held on July 12th, 19th, 26th and Aug. 2nd from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in RDC’s FarSide Bar & Grill. Members of the public are invited to attend these free weekly events.
For more information, visit rdc.ab.ca/series or contact RDC’s School of Continuing Education at 403.356.4900. There are limited spaces still available.

