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Cowboy caricature: Whittle the Wood Stump 3’s Jim Valentine adds Western theme to list of ever-changing carving subjects

Left: Jim Valentine poses with the cowboy carving "Buckshot Bill " at the 20th annual Whittle the Wood Rendezvous. Right: Valentine works on the angles of his piece during the Quick Carve.
Andy Bockelman

The traditional depiction of the American cowboy is chiseled features with a grizzled finish. Whittle the Wood carver Jim Valentine took those usual expectations and went in a somewhat different way.

At Stump 3 of the 20th annual carving contest, Valentine utilized exaggerated aspects of the usual buckaroo to craft “Buckshot Bill,” his entry for the competition.

A close-up of Jim Valentine’s “Buckshot Bill ” at the 20th annual Whittle the Wood Rendezvous.
Andy Bockelman

The resident of Midvale, Utah near Slat Lake City said he wanted to stay true to the spirit of Craig while also having some fun with it.



“I love coming out in this neck of the woods, and cowboys are all about Colorado. I took a caricature carving course for using small tools,” he said.

Jim Valentine works on the paint job of “Buckshot Bill ” at the 20th annual Whittle the Wood Rendezvous.
Andy Bockelman

Valentine noted the only inauthentic part of the somewhat goofy-looking Western figure was his smile.



20th annual Whittle the Wood Rendezvous carvings

Stump 1 — Nate Hall — “Mountain Migraine”; Rams butting heads

Stump 2 — Matt Ounsworth — “20 for 20”; Animal totem (Second place)

Stump 3 — Jim Valentine — “Buckshot Bill”; Cowboy

Stump 4 — Damon Gorecki — “Wood Haven”; Bench

Stump 5 — Justine Park — “Home of the Brave”; Skull with feathered headdress

Stump 6 — Joe Srholez — “Xing Yun (Lucky)”; Dragon

Stump 7 — Chad Stratton — “Long Ago”; Wooly mammoth

Stump 8 — Bongo Love — “The Sweet Life”; Hummingbirds (Third place)

Stump 9 — Robert Lyon — “Horse of Course”; Horse

Stump 10 — Robert Waits —  The Lorax”; The Lorax (Artist’s Choice)

Stump 11 — Fernando Dulnuan — “The Lion of Judah”; Angel with lion and lamb

Stump 12 — Ken Braun — “Blue”; Velociraptor (First place, People’s Choice, Artist’s Choice)

“I think his teeth are a little too white. I should have put some yellow in there,” he laughed.

The cowboy carving is another in a line of ever-changing features Valentine has done across his five years at Whittle the Wood, including a fairy-tale cottage, a doomed Boy Scout, a soaring eagle, and a seascape, always willing to take on new topics.

Jim Valentine of Midvale, Utah, displays “Under the Sea,” a collection of marine life, at the 19th annual Whittle the Wood Rendezvous.
Andy Bockelman

“I like to change it up from year to year,” he said. “An artist is his own worst critic, and every year you look at your work and say, ‘oh, I should have done this, should have done that.'”

Valentine noted that this year in particular was a standout in his mind. While he didn’t finish with any awards, he said the music of Leftover Salmon made this WTW a memorable one.

“It’s almost like a vacation for me,” he said.


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