Buzz Buzzard  is a character study of a caricature of an old man standing at the twilight of days with a gaze back in time to a younger time when spring was in his step and winter was a cold breeze far away.  Now the days have accelerated towards the winter of his days with only summer memories to warm his soul. At least that is one story this carving may be telling since the purpose of a carving is to tell a story to the imagination of the observer. Read the rest of this entry »

The photograph shows a Clown writing pen and a Hobbit carved recently for  Helvie Knives  for their private collection.  The writing pen began as a ball point pen cartridge inserted into a short and a longer block of basswood to see an example of what could be carved as a carved writing pen.  The Hobbit was carved out of a five inch tall by two and three quarters inch square block.

A picture is worth a thousand words suggests what can be learned from studying pictures in this photographic journey.

The first photographic journey is of the Clown writing pen showing the front and back view followed by a picture of the Helvie Signature Series # 3 knife used to carve the Clown.

The Hobbit was carved to form using a Helvie Limited Special Edition  larger two and a half inch scimitar blade in a Pakkawood handle. A smaller two inch scimitar bladed knife, the Signature Series # 2 and a Collector’s Series knife were used for refining the form into detail carving of the overall figure Read the rest of this entry »

Traveler was carved as one of those serendipity carvings that is an interplay of creative imagination partnering with the activity of carving to create a new carving subject.  Often in the act of carving the action of the knife shaping a piece of wood will almost dictate the carving design.  That is the way “Traveler” came into existence and when finished he had the appearance of a man of experience out for a walk towards the horizon of an unexplored journey.  The Original Traveler is the one in the middle of the four photographs above. Read the rest of this entry »

This Whittle Doodle  was carved to be one segment in a Friendship Cane to be given as a surprise at a forthcoming woodcarving show to a person who has contributed much to the carving community.  A Whittle Doodle is doodling with a knife to carve faces in relief and embellish blank space with free hand chip carving.  Click on each photo to see a larger version.  The monochrome finish is artist oil paint Raw Sienna mixed with Boiled Linseed Oil followed by a protective finish of Deft and then Howard Feed and Wax. The block of basswood is three inches tall and approximately two inches square.

Don Stephenson,  my artist friend who continues to come up with neat carving ideas has done it again with a “Hillbilly Drawing.”   This hillbilly captures the mental image of how most people picture a hillbilly.  All art is an interpretation of an idea, an image or a memory.  Art is also fluid as one interpretation flows into another interpretation so that one subject can have many interpretations without any duplication of theme, appearance or appeal.

A drawing of a hillbilly is a two dimensional interpretation while a carving of that same hillbilly becomes a three dimensional interpretation of the two dimensional drawing.  A drawing of a hillbilly is in one medium of art while a carving of that same hillbilly is in another medium.  Don Stephenson’s drawing of a hillbilly was used as inspiration for carving a hillbilly out of an inch and half square by six inch tall block of basswood using a Bud Murray 539 knife as depicted in the first photograph in the photo journey below which shows various views of the completed carving of a hillbilly.  The carving is finished with artist oil paint Raw Sienna mixed with Boiled Linseed Oil to produce on monochrome finish in order to emphasis that  “texture is color.” Read the rest of this entry »

It has often been said that “variety is the spice of life,” and the same is true for carving projects that continue to be a “variations on a theme.”  The carvings pictured in this posting are carvings that are repeats of earlier carving projects.

Included in the photographic journey are practice face carvings, three inch tall figures and  a six inch tall fisherman.

Often I have suggested that when a carver completes a carving project that carver should carve another one of the same theme.  The purpose of such an activity is to experience “the more one carves the better one carves.”   When carving the first one, the creative sub conscious is recording all that went into the carving process.  When carving the second similar project, the creative sub conscious partners with the carver to make subtle design changes as well as guide the carving process to create a newer version that is just a little better than the previous carving.  If the carver continues to carve another, then another, then another of the similar project the “variations on a theme puts the spice of life”  into each carving.  Carving practice faces will lead to carving faces with a variety of personalities depicted in each face carved.  Practice “spices up”  the carver’s carving resulting in experiencing the “Spice of Life.” Read the rest of this entry »

Don Stephenson,  aka: the “Idea Monster”  and artist friend who continues to come up with unique carving ideas through his creative drawing has come up with another one that has turned into a carving. This drawing appeared on the back of an envelope that Don sent to me containing other drawings.

This old geezer dressed in his night shirt and night cap is carrying his candle to light his path from bed to the bathroom as old men are prone to do during the night.  He is named “Knight Capp” as a play on the spelling of words with an upside down meaning of the term.

Knight Capp is carved out of an inch square by three inch tall block of basswood using only a knife to shape and detail this carving. A Bud Murray Knife #539  was used in the carving.  The challenging parts of this carving include carving a mouth without dentures, carving bare feet and the candle held in one hand.   An old man without dentures tends to narrow the face, hollow in the cheeks, sink in the mouth with wrinkled lips and protrude the chin. Read the rest of this entry »