[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Delmar Carman uses his talent to create memorable gifts<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
Retirement can create an artist, no matter their age. As sunlight streams through the window and lands on the woodworker\u2019s desk, he studies the intricate wreath he\u2019s fashioning of wood. The mosaiclike picture before him resembles the sections of a quilt. He continues to piece the puzzle together as a small puppy named Penny sleeps on a nearby rug. Working with a scroll saw may be a more recent hobby of Delmar Carman\u2019s, but building things has been a lifelong occupation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI first began woodworking when I was a teenager,\u201d says the 96-year-old from Bolivar. \u201cOf course, it was a different kind back then.\u201d Growing up on a farm, Delmar often worked with his dad in their shop, welding things back together and building what was needed for farming equipment, animal housing and even their own house. Life on a farm often meant fixing things yourself.<\/p>\n
His experience with building projects eventually led him to work for a residential construction company, building houses in the Stockton area. For several years, he remodeled post offices across the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter we retired, my wife, Stella, and I volunteered for 10 years with Laborers For Christ, building churches and schools in the U.S. and in Hong Kong,\u201d Delmar says. Once finished with that, he knew there was still more work he wanted to do.<\/p>\n
Today, he\u2019s focused more on crafts than construction, but it\u2019s still rewarding work for this Southwest Electric Cooperative member.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all started when a friend of his showed him a puzzle made with a photograph on wood and cut with a jigsaw. That really caught Dad\u2019s interest,\u201d says Sandra Edwards, one of Delmar\u2019s daughters. It didn\u2019t take him long to know he had to try it for himself.<\/p>\n
He repurposed several tools from his years in construction, purchased a scroll saw and started playing around. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t hard to learn,\u201d Delmar says. \u201cI have stacks of books with patterns where I browse for ideas I like, and I just began building from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Soon the shelves in the garage were lined with Delmar\u2019s creations. Wooden wreaths, picture frames, wall ornaments, cutting boards, puzzles and flower vases are just a few of the items he\u2019s learned how to make with beautiful, intricate detail. On the mantel, a handmade wooden clock still chimes. In fact, his work is displayed on several walls of his house and those of friends and family.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time we visit, he shows us what he\u2019s been working on and sends us home with new pieces,\u201d says daughter, Gwen Grogan. \u201cI have Christmas ornaments he\u2019s made and little wooden birds that I have set in plants around my home. I\u2019m so impressed by what he can do. It looks easy until you try it.\u201d<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_gallery _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” gallery_ids=”17428,17426,17429″ sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_gallery][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Delmar will usually work on one design for a couple hours a day. Depending on the project, one item can require anywhere from hours up to several days to complete. He uses solid wood and half-inch plywood, which he then sands and varnishes. Once the wood is glued to the pattern, the pieces are cut and hand-painted. All the pieces must fit together like a puzzle or else he must resize and re-cut them with his scroll saw.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe scroll saw work I do is not half as intricate as what many folks do,\u201d he humbly adds. \u201cNormally scroll saw work is done using the intarsia style, where you make all the pieces out of different colored wood, but I don\u2019t have the patience for that.\u201d Delmar grins. \u201cIf you miss your line, it wouldn\u2019t fit and you\u2019d have to sand it. So, I cut all my pieces out of the same piece of wood and then stain them and paint them. They fit a lot better that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Delmar also adjusts the patterns and redesigns them as he sees fit as the project unfolds. This allows him to add in his own style. \u201cHe loves experimenting with different mediums and developing new products,\u201d says Gwen.<\/p>\n
His most intricate work is the 28-by-36-inch \u201cThe Last Supper\u201d which hangs in the Zion Lutheran Church in Bolivar.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s over 800 pieces in all. The eyes are all separate pieces and a lot of the faces are several pieces too,\u201d Delmar says. \u201cI had to cut the sheet of wood into four sections because you can\u2019t get that big of a piece in the scroll saw.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were so surprised by how creative he is. We were like, \u2018Where did that come from?\u2019\u2009\u201d Gwen says with a laugh.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cThe details in \u2018The Last Supper\u2019 piece amaze me. You can even see the individual pieces down to the minor details in the sandals and toes.\u201d<\/p>\n Delmar\u2019s woodwork shines with variety and layers of stories behind the scenes. Several pieces he\u2019s made feature birds like chickadees and hummingbirds, and other animals such as penguins, fish and bears.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI used to do a lot of hunting and fishing,\u201d he says. Incorporating those things into his art brings him much joy. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of work, but once you make that many boxes of stuff, you get the hang of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Delmar doesn\u2019t sell any of his woodworking, but he loves giving gifts.<\/p>\n \u201cThe more he gives away, it encourages him to make more,\u201d Gwen says. \u201cHe recently gave Mom a beautiful wooden cross he created for their 75th anniversary.\u201d All their children down to their great-great-grandchildren gathered around them to celebrate. \u201cI\u2019m just amazed at what he\u2019s been able to make and the fact that he\u2019s 96 and he keeps on creating.\u201d<\/p>\n Any day spent woodworking is a good day for Delmar. Boxes of his time and vision surround him, as do a few shelves of his homemade wine, another hobby. Whether he\u2019s working with wood or wine, he\u2019s enjoying life and planning the next project. It\u2019s hard for Delmar to pick a favorite from his collection.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all fun,\u201d he says. \u201cThe next one I make is going to be my favorite.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>You can write to Delmar Carman at 2025 W. Northwood St., Bolivar, MO 65613. <\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Kaiser is a freelance writer from Hartville.<\/i><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Delmar Carman uses his talent to create memorable gifts Retirement can create an artist, no matter their age. As sunlight streams through the window and lands on the woodworker\u2019s desk, he studies the intricate wreath he\u2019s fashioning of wood. The mosaiclike picture before him resembles the sections of a quilt. He continues to piece the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":461,"featured_media":17427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[210],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ruralmissouri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17425"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ruralmissouri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ruralmissouri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ruralmissouri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/461"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ruralmissouri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17425"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ruralmissouri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17432,"href":"https:\/\/ruralmissouri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17425\/revisions\/17432"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ruralmissouri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ruralmissouri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ruralmissouri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ruralmissouri.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}