Whittle Folk Gothic were carved around 1990 – 1991 and these five are all that remain from that era.   The inspiriation for these Whittle Folk Gothic came from the famous painting entitled “American Gothic” by Grant Wood.  Each was carved from a three quarter inch by at least three inches tall block of basswood and finished natural using Deft semi gloss clear wood finish (a brushing lacquer).  These “Gothic” figures were an attempt to carve realistic figures in a small scale of the whittle-carving style of carving only with a knife. 

In many ways these carvings were a passing fancy in that the WOOD BEE CARVER moved on to other subject ideas like the Whittle Folk ‘Pokes with a Western theme.  Such an experience is an example of the adage that “Woodcarving is more the journey than the destination,” in that while on one journey path of carving one subject another subject idea takes over leaving the former only a relic of past adventure.

So these Whittle Folk Gothic figures are put on display at wood carving shows as a sign post of a path once traveled of a memory that is carved in time.  One day they may serve again as worthy carving ideas but until then they just hang around in the “room called remember.”