The year was 2011 and a patron requested a commission carving of Harriet Tubman.  Such an iconic historical figure whose contribution to freedom and consciousness to the moral character of our nation’s greater good is a humbling charge to memorialize in a wood carving.  To add to the pressure of accomplishing such an endeavor is to understand the love, honor and respect the patron had for Harriet as a hero to her people as well as all she accomplished for her race and for women’s suffrage.  A daunting task that required study and research by the carver to come to know Harriet Tubman as one who lives on through her humanitarian acts of bravery to lead many of her people to freedom from slavery by way of the Underground Railroad and moral leadership as an abolitionist and suffragist. The U.S. Treasury on April 20, 2016 honored her memory with the announcement that Harriet Tubman will be the new face on the twenty dollar bill by 2020.

A study was made by the carver of several photographs, drawings and artistic illustrations of Harriet in order to develop a mental image of the subject to be interpreted in the wood during the carving process. Using several artistic illustrations,  the clothing style is of Harriet as a guide under the cover of darkness leading her people to freedom.  A walking staff was chosen as a symbol of strength and a lantern was chosen to emphasize the bringing of light to the darkness of human misery.

The choice of wood became butternut whose natural color was a good match for the skin color and complexion of Harriet.  The block of butternut was twelve inches tall and four inches square.  Small palm gouges were used to shape the block of butternut into the basic form of the figure and two knives with a scimitar blade shape were used for further shaping and for refining the details. Color was added with artist oil paint thinned with boiled linseed oil to produce a stain to color the coat, dress, necessity bag, head scarf cap and the warm glow of the lantern.  The skin tones of the face and hands are the color of butternut wood with an application of boiled linseed oil to soften the wood to a skin tone.

The photographic gallery offers a tour of the progressive development of the carving in process.   The block of wood was opened up by carving the basic form of the head while the squared block received drawn guidelines of the various parts of the remaining figure. Several photographs are devoted to showing the position of the two knives with scimitar blades carving in tight areas.

The following group of photographs shows the development of the carving of the face beginning with opening up of the eye sockets area in the basic form of the head.  Next are the various views of the completed carved face followed by the finished face with its oil finish.

While the WOOD BEE CARVER is primarily a knife only carver, yet occasionally other carving tools are used for special projects.  Carving Harriet Tubman was a great learning experience in a challenging way and was well worth reaching towards the horizon of creativity.  Every carving project is a learning experience and there is nothing ever lost by stretching one’s creativity to try something beyond one’s comfort zone.  The patron was very pleased and Harriet Tubman sits center stage on his mantel.  So, the commission accomplished two purposes with the carver expanding his horizon and the patron enjoying a carving of an admired hero.