My name is Nate Elarton. I am 50 and started woodcarving about 8 years ago. I married for 29 years, have amazing kids, pastor a church, play some instruments, and want to be a better woodcarver.
I am by no means a professional woodcarver. But I love it. Back in 2007 I went to visit a friend in TN, Marty Eddinger, an amazing woodcarver and teacher now, and he asked me to come to his shed and to check out a hobby he was getting interested in. He handed me a chisel and I ran it through some Tennessee Cedar and I have love woodcarving ever since.
I don’t teach any classes, I am not that good, and I have only carved and learned from Marty and another amazing carver Alec Lacasse in Rochester, MI.
Woodcarving releases some creativity in me, but I find it peaceful, theraputic. I pastor a large church in Temperance, MI and another in Toledo Ohio. I have several pastors on staff, and there is so much to do. Woodcarving gives me peace as I escape the pressures of leadership, and it helps me be a better pastor and I hope I am becoming a better woodcarver also.
I have carved in the round, whittled, carved with chisels, powercarved, and I have enjoyed it all. I seem to go back to faces. I love looking at a carving and feel it’s alive looking back at you. That is a great feeling to me.
I also launched this site as a place to index in pics some of my carvings.
Nate Elarton Wood Sculpting 