The WOOD BEE CARVER is always trying to learn various styles of carving in addition to his normal Whittle-Carving only with a knife.  Relief carving utilizes traditional carving tools as well as learning to see and carve in perspective in a shallow surface.  The basswood ostrich egg with its own turned base presents another challenge with its curving surface in which to carve a relief scene.

The basswood ostrich egg is six inches tall and three and three quarters of an inch in diameter which presents a decorative size that can be placed on a table or shelf rather than the traditional relief carving that is a larger  flat format to be hung on a wall.  The size and shape of the ostrich egg allows for a hand held carving project using palm gouges.

The completed carving was painted using the “Painting Softly” method of artist oil paints and boiled linseed oil described in previous postings in this web log.

These two photographs of an unpainted relief carving of a girl in a tree swing are presented here as a comparison with the painted examples of this relief carving for study purposes.  The carving cuts and tool facets appear different in the bare wood when compared with the painted carving.

This carving was a project in a relief carving class taught by Robert Stadtlander. Robert is a versatile carver of many motifs and genres and is an excellent teacher.  I have taken several classes with Robert and always learn and relearn from his unique way of teaching.

Every carving project is a signpost of where a carver is at a particular time and place on the woodcarving journey of always learning, growing and becoming a better carver.  The more one carves the better one becomes and to speed up that process it is helpful to participate in carving seminars, workshops and classes.  The “Girl in a Tree Swing” was my idea in which Robert Stadtlander guided with his helpful suggestions and instructions.   Robert helps by teaching about perspective, texturing of trees, bushes, leaves, wooden structures, stone and brick work, water and the effect of light and shadow in relief carving.

It was a learning piece that ended up with a comfortable appearance of a scene from childhood.  A motivation for any carver is to carve one’s memory by capturing in a  tangible carving an intangible image that lives in the mind.  Most of us have our own tree swing memories to go back to visit if only in our remembering or in our carving projects.

Carve a memory is the next journey called woodcarving.