Totem Poles have a fascination of mystery surrounding their appearance as an unique form of art and carved beauty.  A Totem is not a religious symbol nor an object of worship.  Rather, a Totem is a carved diary or family story of symbols that tells what is very important to the people who carved and erected the Totem Pole.  A Totem proclaims a clan’s or tribes status and is a symbol of the clan’s mythological history, familiar legends or notable events.  The animals carved into the pole from top to bottom represents the characteristics of each animal as a guide throughout life.  A Totem is an entity, such as an animal that watches over or assists a tribe or family as a spirit guide representative of the symbolic relationship between nature and human kinship. Read the rest of this entry »

The EXTREME WHITTLE DOODLE is carved especially for the Artistry in Wood Show, Dayton, Ohio on November 14 and 15, 2009 as a contribution to the Silent Auction at the Show.  It is carved in a three inch square by eight inches tall block of basswood and finished with boiled linseed oil and raw sienna artist oil paint followed by brushed on coat of Deft.  Whittle Doodle is a way of showcasing what can be carved using only a knife by pushing whittling to the extreme.

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A dentist in Israel commissioned the carving of this caricature scene of a dentist and his patient.  It appears that there is a lingering fear of going to the dentist who will extract fear out of the patient long before any teeth are extracted.  Approaching this lingering fear with a bit of humor is a way to lighten any patients apprehension while poking fun at the dentist.  Thus when a dentist commissions such a carving it is the dentist who has the sense of humor by poking fun at the dental profession. Read the rest of this entry »

The Three Amigos are grown up versions of Whittle Folk ‘Pokes in that they are carved from a one and a half inch square block six inches tall and were carved using traditional carving tools while Whittle Folk ‘Pokes are carved using only a knife and are only four inches tall by three quarters of an inch square. Read the rest of this entry »

The Gunslinger Caricature was carved out of a basswood block seven inches tall by three inches square.  The original design was done by Chris Hammack who carved the caricature and its photo became the front of a greeting card.  A wood carving friend shared the photo with me.  The unusual posture of the gunslinger presented a challenge to carve.  Carving gouges were used to carve the basic form with knives used for the detail carving. Read the rest of this entry »

Two  more Whittle Doodles have been added to the Whittle Doodle page under “Main Menu” which can be accessed by clicking on “Whittle Doodle IV and VII and More”   Whittle Doodles are free hand carvings done only with a knife to show all the fun and imaginative things that can be carved in a block of wood.  Doodling with a knife in a block of wood is at the heart of what it means to Whittle-Carve.

Whittle Folk Monks are carved from a three inch by one inch square block of basswood making the face approximately three quarters of an inch long and a half of an inch wide.  The face is proportioned using the Rule of Three for face proportions with one third from hairline to eyebrows, one third from eyebrows to bottom of nose and one third from bottom of nose to bottom of chin. Whittle Folk Monks are carved only with a knife with slicing cuts and hard line cuts creating shadows to enhance the detail and simulate movement.  Each face is carved to take on a personality of its own as is depicted in the photographic Face Study below. Read the rest of this entry »