Wood carvers are a strange lot in that any piece of wood is seen as having potential for a carving project. The lowly golf tee has that potential so here are some caricature examples of using a golf tee as a carving novelty. The shape of the golf tee dictates the basic shape while imagination works to create something in that basic shape. These twelve examples were carved using a knife in slicing cuts in the Whittle-Carving style. Howard Feed-N-Wax was applied to the carved areas to give depth of perception to enliven the carved cuts. Read the rest of this entry »
A Step by Step Santa display was carved in 1998 to be used as an educational aid to show the progressive stages of how a Santa is carved from a block of basswood. In this model the basswood block is three quarters of an inch square by three inches tall.
Viewing from left to right the first step is to begin rounding off the top corners to begin shaping the stocking cap into the shape of a squashed down pup tent. Read the rest of this entry »
MERRY CHRISTMAS – 2009. The Santa and Snowman carving is encircled in a green wreath. The green wreath has been a symbol of the Gift of Love that is an unending circle and ever green with its continuous cycle of bringing New Life and Hope to all who discover being in the Circle of Love. CHRISTMAS is the celebration of the Gift of Love in Jesus Christ who is the continuous Love of God encircling all humanity. Christmas is a celebration of the Gift of Love in family and friends that continues to encircle us everyday.
Christmas is a celebration of Memories, timeless and yet ever circling with the newness of remembering love and friendship in all our relationships.
Christmas is a celebration of having our hearts carved with a lasting tribute of the gift of creativity, be it carving, be it making friendships or be it in giving love as we have been loved – the art of drawing a circle.
As Edwin Markham said, “He drew a circle that shut me out Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout But love and I had the wit to win; We drew a circle that took him in.”
A commission by a friend to carve a realistic likeness of his daughter and son from a photograph presented a challenge. But then, if any carver is to grow and stretch in ability, then that carver musters up courage to tap into the reserve of carving experience to try to carve a reasonable likeness. Such a challenge goes back to what Dave Sabol once said in a class when he stated that every carving project is a practice piece and is a learning experience, so relax and and do the best you can. Read the rest of this entry »
Cameron Proctor, better know as “HOBO” carved this likeness of the WOOD BEE CARVER and made me look better than I really am. That is what carving friends do, make us look better because of the common kinship we have through wood carving. I have never met Hobo face to face and yet he is like a long lost relative as we share a common bond of interests. We met through the Message Board on Woodcarving Illustrated web site and have talked on the telephone. Hobo lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina and carves in the tradition of such carvers as Tom Wolfe, David Boone, Mitch Cartledge and the Wade Brothers Read the rest of this entry »
Steve Cotton is a carving friend who shares the journey of wood carving with me. We first met when he was a student in one of my classes and over the years has kept me informed through photographs of his carving excellence. The Santa Ornamnent was a gift that my wife France and I cherish as we do his friendship. Below is a biographical sketch prepared for the showing of some of his carvings in a gallery in West Virginia: Read the rest of this entry »
Don Stephenson, an artist, wood burner and carver, wood burned this likeness of me in the act of whittle-carving along with a likeness of a Whittle Folk Monk. Stephenson is a member of the Dayton Carvers Guild who also takes numerous photographs at guild meetings. He often sits beside me at the carving meeting with sketch pad and pencil drawing what ever comes to the surface of his creative spirit. While some people doodle non-sensible pencil scratches with paper and pencil, Stephenson doodles seriously with a drawing that is astounding. Read the rest of this entry »
Totem Poles have a fascination of mystery surrounding their appearance as an unique form of art and carved beauty. A Totem is not a religious symbol nor an object of worship. Rather, a Totem is a carved diary or family story of symbols that tells what is very important to the people who carved and erected the Totem Pole. A Totem proclaims a clan’s or tribes status and is a symbol of the clan’s mythological history, familiar legends or notable events. The animals carved into the pole from top to bottom represents the characteristics of each animal as a guide throughout life. A Totem is an entity, such as an animal that watches over or assists a tribe or family as a spirit guide representative of the symbolic relationship between nature and human kinship. Read the rest of this entry »