Carving Happiness

CARVING OUT TIME for a hobby is important, but for Pequannock resident John Woodard, it’s a way of life.

Originally from New Hampshire, Woodard has lived in Pequannock for the past 14 years, and locals have come to know and admire his beautiful snow, sand and pumpkin carvings. We took a further look into his beginnings as an artist and how his creative outlet is helping him live out his dreams.

“I have always liked art,” says Woodard. “Growing up in the very rural town of Freedom, New Hampshire, [I found] drawing helped to pass time.” Charcoal, pastels, paints and pencils are mediums Woodard enjoys. Drawing and painting in high school art classes felt right. His natural talents improved with practice, and his methods of creation pivoted as well.

Before moving to Pequannock, Woodard lived in Clifton, and one winter he dazzled neighbors with a giant snow carving of a polar bear. Taking advantage of the snow in his own front yard was something Woodard continued when settling into Pequannock Township.

“I loved to create fun snow sculptures for my young son,” he reflects. “Lines would form outside of our home in Pequannock whenever I would create snow sculptures on our front lawn. It was becoming a driving hazard at times.”

NATIONAL RECOGNITION

This interest from townspeople inspired Woodard to get serious about snow carving. “I participated with my cousin in Sanctioned Snow Sculpting events that are held in Jackson, New Hampshire,” he says. “It took a few years, but we won, and were invited to participate in the U.S. Nationals in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin”—Woodard’s favorite snow-carving event, part of an annual Winterfest celebration.

During the event, the city draws in over 70,000 people who arrive to observe the main event: a snow sculpting competition in which 15 professional teams compete. Temperatures are normally frigid, but Woodard has carved there in 53-degree weather, having to wrap carvings in sunshades to keep sculptures intact!

“The competitions are 72 hours of carving, eating—and sleeping is optional,” he says. A favorite sculpture was an elephant eating a small ice cream cone and sitting with a mouse eating a big ice cream cone. The creativity is endless!

“Our very first event there, we won first place People’s Choice and second place overall,” Woodard says. “That was in 2019-2020, right before COVID hit.”

Winning the Nationals got Woodard noticed. “I was eventually invited to participate as a master carver for an upcoming Disney show,” he says. “When asked if I knew of other carving teams to be participants I called Dave Vasilenko—and he and his team kicked butt! For anyone watching that show, five people were from Pequannock.”

BECOMING PROFESSIONAL

Living in New Jersey, we’re supposed to have plenty of months of snow for sculpting, but as of late, our winters haven’t provided Woodard with enough of the cold stuff. When he isn’t flying out to where it’s frigid enough to carve snow, he’s focusing on other mediums, namely sand.

When Vasilenko (who at the time was part of the Parks and Rec Advisory Board) reached out to Woodard asking him to do sand sculpting at the popular PV Park swimming lake in town, Woodard was game.

“I jumped at the chance, and started learning how to carve sand there,” Woodard says. “Parks and Rec, along with DPW, very generously provide me with a pile of sand to carve, and I kick off Memorial Day weekend with a sculpture.” Locals look forward to seeing what Woodard will create each year and are amazed at the staying power of his sculptures.

Woodard chalks up his skill to learning “one sculpture at a time.” He watched many YouTube videos and gives credit to tons of practice, trial and error—“lots of errors,” he says. He also tips his hat to “the generosity of Master Sculptor Matt Long, who has been providing me with guidance over the years.” Long, of Sand Masters fame, has given Woodard guidance in the best methods of sand carving. Sand has given Woodard many opportunities.

With 14 years of sand carving under his belt, Woodard now also carves commercially, competitively and just for fun. His work can be seen all over the local area and surrounding towns in summer. Teaching carving to camp kids has been rewarding over the years as well.

One of his favorite competitions is hosted by Long in Wildwood on the weekend after the Fourth of July. The event is open to amateur carvers, although it features a pro-am (professional amateur) class, in which Woodard takes part. Pro-am carvers have two days to carve 12 to 14 pounds of sand into art!

SHIFTING SANDS

One of Woodard’s favorite commercial accounts is with Camelback Water Park in Pennsylvania. “Commercial work is challenging and rewarding,” he says. “I always did sculpting for fun—the money from commercial work basically helped me buy better tools. I’ve been leaning into doing more commercial work since being laid off from my IT job.”

If you go to Camelback, you will see Woodard’s painted murals on the mini-golf course or his sand carvings at the water park. (This season, it’s a race car).

Woodard notes that not all sand is carvable. “It needs to be a dense packing sand,” he says. “The best is a fine-grain, unwashed sand with a bit of clay in it.” Sand from different sand quarries in and around New Jersey has been provided for Woodard’s commercial jobs.

Extending the life of a sand carving is crucial. Using a fixative coating, wood glue and water that’s diluted and sprayed can help a carving survive much longer. “With waterproof wood glue, a carving could last months,” says Woodard. Of course, the only element that Woodard can’t control are vandals, and the biggest enemy while carving sand is wind.

GREAT PUMPKINS

In addition to sand carvings, Woodard also provides pumpkin carvings for Camelback. He has already carved over 100 foam pumpkins this year for an event this fall at the park. The Camelback Halloween display is continually added to each year. Woodard also carves pumpkins for various charity events. Working with local Boy and Girl Scouts to teach pumpkin carving and working with camps to teach the art of sand sculpting to kids are highlights of Woodard’s career.

Woodard credits John Brown (a member of his snow-sculpting team) with helping him to learn more about pumpkin carving. “I’m proud to call Jeff a member of my snow-sculpting team,” Woodard says. “He has participated in the 2019 Halloween Wars and won many competitive events. I taught him snow sculpting and he taught me ways to hone my pumpkin-carving skills.

Pumpkin Carving competitions are some of Woodard’s favorites. Hopewell Amazing Pumpkin Carve in Woolsey Park, New Jersey and the Moravian Tile Works Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, showcase beautiful competitive pumpkin carvings.

To keep your pumpkin carvings hanging around a bit longer, Woodard suggests not carving too deeply into the flesh of the pumpkin. Using a diluted bleach and water spray works well, as does brushing exposed areas with vegetable oil or petroleum jelly.

LIGHT AND SHADOW

As forms of art tend to interconnect, photography plays a key role in Woodard’s sculpting. “While people see me working with sand, snow and pumpkins, the actual medium is light and shadows,” says Woodard. Some lines and shapes created in a sculpture are to capture light and shadow in a particular way for the camera. “Sculpting sand, snow and pumpkins is a temporary art,” he says. “Matt Long taught me [that] you carve for the photograph, and the photo will live longer.”

Woodard has received awards from the New York Daily News and New Hampshire Magazine for his sculpting. He’s been writing a book in between sculpting seasons and established Woodard Creative Carvings LLC.

In his free time, Woodard enjoys spending time with his beautiful family: wife Melissa and son T.J. He and his wife are spectators for their son’s track and soccer, and enjoy trips to visit colleges for the Pequannock Township High School incoming junior. T.J. also helps with heavy lifting in summer for Woodard’s jobs.

“My family is very supportive of my goals” Woodard says. The trio enjoy vacationing and visiting different sculpting competitions; art is always a part of everything. “Art helps to encourage growth, and [it] makes someone creative and stretches their brain,” he says. “The creativity helps with everyday life and problem management, forcing you to think outside of the box.”

LEARN MORE

Follow Woodard Creative Carvings LLC on Instagram (www.instagram.com/woodard_creative_carvings); email john@woodardcreativecarvings.net; or call 201-289-7965.

BY ANTONIETTA HENRY