The term “BEE CARVEFUL” was coined by Michael Keller years ago. Michael and the Wood Bee Carver became friends via the internet through an article he wrote in a trade newspaper in his home state of Washington. On his blog and web site he coined the word “carveful” and developed it into a humorous and yet serious definition as he has written:
Carveful/Carvefully Defined. As found in the Keller Carving Dictionary – First Edition
Carveful adj 1. Full of or expressing deep positive feeling about carving (profoundly emotional in a positive way); 2. Feeling, causing, or indicating joy through carving; 3. Being in good spirits while carving; 4. Cautious in the application of carving; 5. Thorough and painstaking in the execution of carving; . – Carvefully adj. – Carvefulness n.
The HALF PINT BAND is an interpretation of an earlier Hillbilly Band carved in the style of WHITTLE FOLK carved in the mid 80’s. Both were carved out of basswood block three inches tall and an inch square. The Half Pint interpretation however was carved in the proportional scale of a half inch equals a foot. In comparing a Whittle Folk photo from the mid 1980’s with the Half Pint Band of 2024 the differences are evident while still being similar.
The Mountain Man holding a walking staff is a repeat of a carving project done in 2015 which can be viewed by clicking on “Mountain Man Twice” While there are similarities to the original carving project, yet it is not an exact copy since it is an interpretation of the original. Every carving project is always an “interpretation of imagination” as each new carving takes on a personality of its own as its design develops in the carving process.
“The hardest part of any project is getting started,” is one of the Wood Bee Carver’s Rules used in his wood carving classes that originated in 1996 as part of a certificate presented to every class participant in subsequent carving classes until retirement from teaching at the end of 2019. Besides being a souvenir for each student, it served as an introductory educational tool at the beginning of the class to review the philosophy of the Wood Bee Carver. The full statement is: The hardest part of any project is getting started, but once begun the creative juices flow,” which is discovered over and over again.