~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everybody loves a clown be it someone who is “in clown”, someone who is clowning around to bring a little humor to life, a circus clown, a picture or art work depicting a clown or simply the subject for a wood carving.  The photographic essay of recent carvings of clowns is presented in this posting as a bit of humor as well as examples of “Clowning Around” with woodcarving.

Some of the photographs will be of carvings of a clown that is carved to basic form ready for detail carving while other photographs will be of the polychromed  painted clowns.  Each is offered for observation of imagination in carving and for encouragement to carve a clown as a future carving project.  Each clown was carved out of an inch and half square by five inch tall block of basswood with a knife in the Whittle-Carving style.  Coloring was done with artist oil paint and boiled linseed oil.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Characteristics that make a carving into a clown include the ball nose, funny colored hair and makeup and clown style clothing.  Sometimes it is the scene showing an absurdity, a pathos accident or an obvious exaggeration.  The clown with a broom is trying to sweep up a shadow.  The clown who has dropped ice cream off the ice cream cone captures the sadness of an accident.  The clown with a balloon and a feather is dealing with a dilemma of which is the lightest,  kinda like when we try to weight our worries.  The clown singing in a clown suit and wearing funny hair  depicts innocent happiness.

Carvers who really get into their carving subject become that subject while it is being carved.  There is a little bit of a clown in each of us, so clowning around while carving is a good thing.  We need more clowns, carved or other wise.