Time to take the mystery out of relief woodcarving. Separate the myth from the facts. Ray gets it! He was a beginner once too. He knows for someone who’s never done it, woodcarving looks like magic—or that you must be born with some kind of “talent” to learn to carve. But carving is more about understanding that if you can trace a line, like a coloring book, you can learn to carve. Students won’t need to be an artist or know how to draw; they just need curiosity and a few good hacks. Students will use both hand and power tools to explore relief carving in a relaxed, low-pressure environment. By following Ray’s simple “six lessons recipe,” participants will create one or more experimental pieces to warm up, then move on to a small front porch sign (or two). This is a playground, not a performance. In Ray’s class, students won’t get penalized for mistakes; they are to be expected. In fact, students will lean into them, because mistakes aren’t wrong—they are steps in learning a skill. And yes, Ray will show you exactly how to fix them. If you get stuck, he’ll be right there beside you, helping to work through it. We’re not building cabinets, we’re building confidence. Toss the tape measure and learn how to see, not overthink. By week’s end, students will leave with the skills to carve, the courage to keep going, and a piece of work they can point to and say, “I can’t believe I actually made that.”