Everyone will have seen films where some character, usually out in the wilds, is sitting with a knife idly sculpting a piece of wood into some purposeful shape or other. This practice is called whittling, which has clear differences from carving: it can only be accomplished with a knife and must be done in the hand–there can be no holding device or “sanding down”. Its heyday was probably from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries, when it was taught to boy scouts and similar groups. It has been called the common man’s ‘folk art’ because it was done by people without academic education in the arts, but who still had a creative urge and ability.
It came to pass that a man was crowned the whittling champion of the USA…
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