Rich and Holli Smithson, owners and operators of HELVIE KNIVES Commissioned the WOOD BEE CARVER to carve a Depression Era Gangster.  Research was made of several historic photographs and images with a few chosen to be a visual and inspirational guide while the block of basswood was being shaped into a gangster figure.  The visual images were fed into the imagination mixing machine of the mental image workshop of creativity to come up with an image toward which to release in the block of basswood.  Essential in the design was to have the gangster holding a Tommy Gun, a shoulder holstered pistol, a cigar in the corner of his mouth and wearing a pin striped suit, fedora hat and wing tipped shoes. The gangster was carved in a basswood block nine inches tall, three inches wide and two and a quarter inch thick.

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