Don Worley has developed a unique style of carving the human face in the caricature motif that not only brings a smile but also an appreciative admiration of his artistic interpretation. Several years ago, he introduced the “No-See-Um” faces carved with eyes covered with a hat or hair. This was followed by his “Biker Dudes” with eyes carved to add character to the Dudes. Then he expanded his repertoire with his “Bunkhouse Dudes” of Western cowboy faces.
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A pirate has been a frequent carving project in which each new pirate carving is an interpretation of a familiar theme. Most pirate carvings have repeating themes of an eye patch, hook, peg leg, sword, craggy face with scars, skull with cross bones insignia and clothes that are representative of a pirate. Sometimes a braided pig tail will be added and perhaps rings in the ears. All in all, a pirate is fun to carve because of all the features that add to the carving challenges. The pirate featured in this posting include most of these characteristics.
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Santa sitting on a tag was carved from a three and half inch square by half inch thick basswood block. The original design was created by Glenn Stewart of Hawesville, KY about twenty years ago. May the best of what Christmas means be the gift we all share as we exit 2020 and enter 2021.
Five years after carving the first Pumpkin Doodle, the second one was carved in 2020. It was carved out of a six inch by two inch by inch and a half basswood block using knives in the Whittle-Carving style. Carving the first pumpkin doodle was an exercise in creativity. Carving the second, was of another phase of creativity that utilized a previously carved model. The creative tension was still there but not as intense since much of the design had already been discovered. The second approach was a little strained by not wanting to copy the original so that the second pumpkin doodle would have its own characteristics ever so slight. The basic form remained the same while each face took on a personality of its own.
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The first Scottish Golfers were carved in 2008 and has now been revisited with a 2020 carved version of these two Scotsmen. This posting will be devoted to a visual tour beginning with the beginning progressive stages of each one in front of photos from the 2008 carving exercise. Most of the photos will be of each Scotsman in there finished poses.
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In 2007 and 2008 I carved a few Uncle Sam figures with a redux of Uncle Sam carved now in 2020. The Wood Bee Carver carves from a block of wood using knives to carve to basic form and then in detail. Each carving project relies heavily upon the use of creative imagination backed up with visual research of graphics of the subject. Thus, every repeat carving of a given subject will be a little different in details and appearance.
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Twenty-five years ago, the Wood Bee Carver coined this instructional phrase for woodcarving instruction ~ “Wood carving is Agony and Ecstasy, but Ecstasy always follows the Agony.” This saying helped to explain a common experience this carver had with almost every carving project in its beginning stage of development. Even after almost fifty years of carving, this experience occurs at the beginning stage of any carving project. It is an experience of a feeling that the project will not turn out the way it has been imagined and that it will be a mess or a disaster. This feeling is called the “Agony” stage. Likewise, once this Agony feeling is accepted for what it is as the “tension of the creative process,” the next stage of “Ecstasy” comes to the forefront as the “creative process opens to the fix” by turning the chaos into a path forward. The lesson to be learned, is not to give up too soon but to trust the creative process to work with the tension of challenges by allowing imagination to guide towards the “fix” as the carving project develops on its way to it finishing touches. Ecstasy always follows the Agony, so relax to continue to carve out of chaos.
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Keith Radick has a strong face with character that is a good subject for study. He is not only an accomplished carver but he also is a good sport by granting me permission to use his face for this study. The face on a WANTED poster is intended to be studied in case you ever see this character.
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