The WOOD BEE CARVER has discovered over the years of carving a creative tension that is both “agony” and “ecstasy.” Experiencing this tension almost every time with any new carving project led me to come up with the following rule: “CARVING IS AGONY AND ECSTASY, BUT ECSTASY ALWAYS FOLLOWS THE AGONY .”
Because wood carving is a “learn by and while doing” and one’s subconscious is at work in the creative process, there is a certain amount of tension (as in the stretching of a rubber band and an inner power as the rubber band is released and returns to its former state) and in this tension there is a certain inner power at work. This creative tension can be called the “agony and ecstasy” of the carving process. Read the rest of this entry »
The WOOD BEE CARVER has always preferred pocket knives that have been refurbished into carving knives as his primary carving tool. Perhaps it is the nostalgia from boyhood days of whittling with an old pocket knife that adds a little romance to carving with a knife. Read the rest of this entry »
WHITTLE FOLK CLASSICS are whittle-carved out of one and a half square by six inch tall block of basswood. Each subject in this series has been carved several times before only in smaller versions from a one inch square by four and a half inch tall block of basswood. Each has been highlighted in a previous posting and are grouped together here in four photographs showing the front, back and both sides of the six carvings. Read the rest of this entry »
The figure of a carpenter holding a plane in one hand and a saw in the other has been a popular carving over the years in their smaller versions. The two examples of WHITTLE FOLK CLASSIC here shows one with a beard and the other clean shaven. Most of the time these are carved as “Old Geezers” and some might even call them “old galoots” because the nickname “galoot” has been adopted by those who collect and use old wood working tools as described at www.oldtoolsshop.com and many other sites when one makes a Google search on the Internet for “galoot.” Read the rest of this entry »
The Native American is a popular carving subject that requires an on going research on the subject by studying photographs and reading books about and by Native Americans to get inside the spirit of these noble and spiritual people. All too often our perception has been based upon the stereotype of the movies and white men’s prejudice. Read the rest of this entry »
” Sea Captain” is a title to refer to any carving that relates to a man of the sea. What distinguishes this carving as a Sea Captain is his clothing and the items he holds in his hands. In one hand he holds a rolled up map and in the other a sextant, an instrument for measuring the angular distance of the sun, stars, and etc. from the horizon to determine position in the sea to then aid in reading the map. Read the rest of this entry »
The “Wizard” has become a common carving subject for the mythical class of competitions at wood carving shows. There is something magical about the imaginative character of a wizard that appeals to the child in each of us. What distinguishes a wizard from an old world Santa is the style of clothing and the items each is holding in their hands. Read the rest of this entry »
The inspiration to carve Lucky the Pirate came from the following story about an aged pirate who walked into a tavern and the bar keep said, “Well, Old Timer, it looks like you have been through it.” “Yes I have, but I’ve always been lucky,” says Lucky the Pirate. Read the rest of this entry »