Don Mertz, the WOOD BEE CARVER  is pictured holding the Seminole Indian Bust in his carving room in which the journey of carving is explored on a daily basis.  “Would be carvers would be carvers if they would carve wood,”  so the best way to learn is to carve as often as possible and in as many subjects that are captured in the carver’s imagination. The Seminole Indian Bust  is a most recent learning project.

Every carving project is a learning project to sharpen the carver’s ability and whet the creative muse of imagination becoming reality.  The Seminole Indian Bust  is a commission carving for someone who favors Florida State Seminoles athletic teams.  The team mascot as well as team logo were used for the beginning of research which led to historic photographs and written history of the noble people known as Seminole.  One of the chief characteristics of the Seminole people was the wearing of ostrich plume feathers in a head band or turban. Read the rest of this entry »