Ray Kinman, originally from San Pedro, now runs his own independent woodcarving business in Grass Valley in Northern California. He has spent the last 47 years working out of his garage and perfecting his craft, and he has done work for big brands like Disney. His work is featured throughout Disneyland, such as at Splash Mountain and the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

Kinman did not start out as the expert woodcarver he is today. In fact, he taught himself how to carve.

When his children were young, he took them to Disneyland and saw the woodcarving around the park. It was then that he set his sights on working with Disney’s Imagineering team, which orchestrates the designs for the park.

But Kinman did not know anyone who worked there, so he just started sending in his portfolio.

“That went on for a couple years,” Kinman says. “One thing I know is you’ve got to stick to it. And after a couple years, I thought, ‘Why am I doing this? I’m doing something wrong. I’m getting no response.’ I kind of put it out of my head, but in a matter of weeks I got a phone call.”

It was the head of graphic design at Imagineering on the other end of the line.

“This is where luck comes in,” Kinman says. “He never saw any of the things I sent in. He went out to lunch one day at a restaurant where I’d done some work and he saw my work there and got my number from the owner of the restaurant, and that’s how I got my big break.”

That phone call began Kinman’s long relationship with Disney, and it helped him grow his business into what it has become today. He now has a team of carvers and artists who he works with to turn his concepts for clients into finished pieces.

For Kinman, carving is now second nature. However, it is still a labor-intensive process, as he does traditional carving with hand tools.

“It’s something that forces you to slow down,” Kinman says. “You can’t rush through it. It’s a good zen thing, so it’s a nice meditative state to drop into. I love doing it.”

However, woodcarving has become a rarity, especially in western countries and in light of advancing technology. Still, the craft is alive across the globe. In fact, Kinman now teaches people interested in the craft at his studio, keeping the art alive.

“These are absolute beginners who have never touched a piece of wood — not artists,” he says. “It’s amazing what they come up with. It’s astonishing.”

Though Kinman enjoys the act of woodcarving, he enjoys seeing the effect his work can have on people the most.

“My favorite part is having somebody cry when I give them a piece,” Kinman says. “I can bring a little good into the world.”

For those interested in learning the craft, Kinman has a simple piece of advice: “Don’t go buy tools first. You’ll wind up with a lot of very expensive tools and not know the first thing about what to do with them. I would say if someone is interested in it, find good instruction and then buy the tools your teacher recommends for that particular style.”

To check out some of Kinman’s work, take a look at his website.

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