Archive for March, 2013

30
Mar

GNOMETTES AND GNOMES

   Posted by: woodbeecarver    in Carving Projects

Gnomettes and Gnomes

The WOOD BEE CARVER  carves a variation on the “garden variety” of Gnomes associated with the Scandinavian origin of these delightful characters. Being mythical characters hidden from the naked eye only to be seen in one’s imagination, Gnomes can be any interpretation of the artist’s imagination.  Thus the style of gnome carved by this author is of the Southwest Ohio variety of gnomes who favor a floppy style hat rather than the traditional “dunce” pointed hat.  Clothing style is a little different as well but then all such variations from the original image are in the artist’s own imagination.

Gnomettes are a recent innovation that came about by request from a ninety six year old collector of a Wood Bee Carver gnome who she said her gnome was lonely and needed a companion. Read the rest of this entry »

22
Mar

DUSTY JOE ~ A Hobo Study

   Posted by: woodbeecarver    in Carving Projects, Tutorials

Dusty JoeDusty JoeDusty JoeDusty JoeDusty JoeDusty JoeDusty JoeDusty Joe

Dusty Joe is a depiction of a character from earlier times who traveled around the country side working when necessary while enjoying a certain kind of free spirit freedom.  A hobo’s life was a hard life that is romanticized today as harmless adventures of traveling men.  Hobos have become fictional figures of nostalgia which takes away the reality of the struggle and difficulty of that way of life.  Today we turn our heads away from the homeless as not being the idyllic hobo of yesterday.  Today’s homeless have fallen on their own hard times complicated by the addition of illness, addiction and prejudice of society.  The hobo is the “comic figure” while the homeless are the “tragedy figures” of the drama of life. So in no way does Dusty Joe make fun of the tragedy of social sorrow but seeks to perk up the inherent worth each person possesses no matter one’s station in life. Read the rest of this entry »

15
Mar

SPICE OF LIFE ~ Redux

   Posted by: woodbeecarver    in Carving Projects

Scrapper Face Study

Scrapper Face Study is using scrap blocks of wood to carve a variety of faces for creative fun as well as study of creative variations in facial expressions. Read the rest of this entry »

9
Mar

DAVE STETSON ~ A Carving Friend

   Posted by: woodbeecarver    in Carving Friends, CCA Related

Stetseon CarvingOld Man in ChairJovial Man

Dave Stetson,  carver, instructor and author,  is one of the founding members of the Caricature Carvers of America whose style of caricature carving bares his own signature of movement and animation.  Such a style does not happen without a lifelong pursuit of the art of imbuing life into a carving by continuous study, observation, experimentation and imagination.  Three of his carvings in the WOOD BEE CARVER’s collection will serve as a visual tutorial to begin seeing animation in the various angles of the pose and posture of a caricature figure.  By visually studying each carving in the series of photographs one can begin to see how to emulate similar animation in one’s own carvings. (Click on photos to enlarge.) Read the rest of this entry »

7
Mar

NORB HARTMAN – A Carving Friend

   Posted by: woodbeecarver    in Carving Friends

Lovespone by HartmanNorm HartmanTop of Love Spoon

Norb Hartman recently gifted me with a personalized love spoon that has a “WOOD BEE” at its top who has a carving knife in each of its hands as can be seen in the photos above that frame a picture of Norb. Read the rest of this entry »