TRI COUNTY RECORD , STORY OF MY CARVING

By Jacob Speicher

editor@TriCountyRecord.com

HONEY BROOK — Arleen Zomer has been carving wood figures for over 28 years, but it wasn't until she started using a new technology that people really took notice.

A couple of months ago, Zomer started putting instructional videos on the popular Web site YouTube, and since then she has become something of a small Web sensation.

"Right now, I have 244 videos up right now, and in less than four months I

was up to 12,000 views," Zomer said.

Now, she says that her videos total over 28,000 views.

For each project Zomer will film a series of how-to-videos consisting of between 10 and 22 clips.

"Each video is step-by-step instruction on how to carve a particular figure. It's all about taking a block of wood and giving it life," Zomer said.

Zomer got into carving at a young age because she always liked woodworking.

"I really like the creativity of it," Zomer said. "You start off with nothing, just a plain piece of wood, and eventually you have something like an eagle."

Zomer's house is filled with her creations. The most intricate of which is a bald eagle she did at half scale.

"It's got a wingspan of three and a half feet," Zomer said. "It took me over 200 hours of work. I would like to do a full-sized one eventually, but that would take around a year."

Right now, however, Zomer is content to keep producing her videos, and she would like to get into more teaching in a traditional classroom setting.

"I've been teaching people out of my home now for a while, but I would like to start teaching down in Morgantown," Zomer said.

Zomer takes pride in making her YouTube videos.

"One of things that makes me stand out is the camera angle I use," Zomer said.

Zomer refused to say how exactly she sets the camera up, but she said the advantage comes in the way people see the piece of wood she is working on.

"Most people shoot their videos from the side or some other angle, forcing the person who's working to transpose things. My videos show the block exactly as the person working on it would see it."

Zomer can be found on YouTube by going to the site and searching "carverswoodshop." She also sells her figures on eBay, and she has a Twitter account as well as a blog.