The Wood Bee Carver has reached that age-old age of 84 with its “slowing down stage” of activities. Wood carving has been central and active part of creative endeavor for fifty years. “Carve to stay Sharp” is my way to keep carving skills up and running since I no longer teach or do carving shows.
This Gallery is a presentation of recent carvings of Favorite Carving Projects in their Dressed Up coloration. “A picture is worth a thousand words,” as the old saying goes and this Gallery will be without words other that these six subjects have been carved several times over the years reminiscent of favorite subjects carved in the Whittle-Carving style of knife carving.
The two photos above are presented for comparative study with the goal to “see to study and study to see.”
Progressive Steps in the progress of Whittle-Carving of the “Nite Lite” character. The Half Pint format uses the scale of a half inch equals a foot. “Nite Lite” is the title of a three inch Half Pint carving depicting an old man wearing his night shirt, night cap and carrying a candle on his way to bed.
Half Pints are three inch by inch square carvings of various figures and subjects that utilize the half inch scale equals a foot of the proportions of a figure. They are slightly above the miniature two-inch size. A monochrome oil finish of Raw Sienna artist oil paint thinned with boiled linseed oil give a soft glow to the surface that allows the faceted texture of the slicing knife cuts to create a texture of color.
Half Pints are three inch by inch square carvings of various figures and subjects that utilize the half inch scale equals a foot of the proportions of a figure. They are slightly above the miniature two-inch size. A monochrome oil finish of Raw Sienna artist oil paint thinned with boiled linseed oil give a soft glow to the surface that allows the faceted texture of the slicing knife cuts to create a texture of color. Each is carved using only knives in the Whittle-Carving style of making slicing and rolling cuts to shape up the basic form of each figure and then refine with precise detailed slicing cuts.
A six-inch-tall by inch and half square base caricature of a hillbilly with jug at his side is the subject of this description of “Design by Carving.”
Tennis Any One” is a caricature carving introduced by with a vanity license plate slogan. The carving stands six inches tall on an inch and half base (the size of the basswood block from which it was Whittle-Carved using only knives to carve.)