Clown Lite is the title of a clown who is holding a balloon in one hand and a feather in the other to determine which one is lightest or heaviest.  This carving subject has been carved several times with each one a little different and yet still the same as to the overall theme.  The latest version of Clown Lite was being used as a demonstration carving in progress at a recent show.  The carving was still in its early stage of being carved without any indication that it was going to be a clown.  Children who came by to watch were asked if they could guess what the carving would be of a person holding a balloon and a feather trying to figure out which was the  heaviest.  Most of the children would choose the balloon as being the heaviest since it was larger than the feather.  But one young girl about eight years old said, “Neither,  because a balloon is as light as a feather.” 

Children often have wisdom beyond their years to remind we who are older and less wise to be a child again.  Perhaps that is what carving is all about as a journey back to the world of being a child again as we try to weigh balloons and feathers in the creative pursuit of  carving.  Carving is very much like being a clown in that while carving we can see the lighter things of life with a bit of humor that does not take ourselves too serious.  Carving is to be a child again, to be a clown, to weight what is most important with the scale of a feather which makes all things light.

The photographs that follow are of the latest version of Clown Lite.  In a January 20, 2010 posting there is a more detailed description of Clown Lite but for now let the photographs speak the thousand words.

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