School Teaches the Art of Carving Wood by Hand

A lot of creativity happens at the on Pompton Plains Crossroad.

The school is tucked away from the road, a lone street sign the only thing that identifies its existence. For the last 37 years, the old, barn-like building has housed people interested in wood carving as a hobby.

“People from all walks of life are students here. Some commute as far away as Pennsylvania for class once a week, others have been coming here for the past 25 years,” owner Jerry Cetrulo said. “You don’t have to have talent when you come in here. We teach you everything you need to know. The people who come in here want to have a good time.”

The school attracts people from all walks of life, Cetrulo said. Upwards of 95 people attend the classes at a time, some repeat students and others new to the hobby.

“The reason why people are so interested is the novelty of using your hands to make something,” Cetrulo said.

Cetrulo, who bought the school in 2006 from Eric Bunn and Michael Holst, said the most rewarding part of his job as a teacher is seeing what people can do. A veteran woodcarver, Cetrulo has been carving wood by hand since the 1980s, after he retired from a career at IBM to teach the trade full time. Every October, he enters his students’ work into the Wayne Police Athletic League’s annual woodcarving contest.

“When my students get blue ribbons for their work, it’s very exciting,” Cetrulo said. “I’m probably more excited than they are.”

The students complete three projects during each session: a whale, a leaf, and a monk. Each class is three hours long, once a week. Most students finish the work before the end of the month and the majority of students come back for other classes, Cetrulo said.

The school also offers classes in watercolor painting, drawing, and clay sculpture as well, but historically, they have had fewer people enrolled in them.

Cetrulo said teaching others the art of woodcarving is something he thoroughly enjoys and he's amazed to see the look on people's faces after they complete a project.

“People are shocked; they can’t believe what they did,” he said. “When you carve something by hand, you put life into it. A machine-made piece is never the same as something carved by hand.”