Five years after carving the first Pumpkin Doodle, the second one was carved in 2020. It was carved out of a six inch by two inch by inch and a half basswood block using knives in the Whittle-Carving style. Carving the first pumpkin doodle was an exercise in creativity. Carving the second, was of another phase of creativity that utilized a previously carved model. The creative tension was still there but not as intense since much of the design had already been discovered. The second approach was a little strained by not wanting to copy the original so that the second pumpkin doodle would have its own characteristics ever so slight. The basic form remained the same while each face took on a personality of its own.
The first Scottish Golfers were carved in 2008 and has now been revisited with a 2020 carved version of these two Scotsmen. This posting will be devoted to a visual tour beginning with the beginning progressive stages of each one in front of photos from the 2008 carving exercise. Most of the photos will be of each Scotsman in there finished poses.
In 2007 and 2008 I carved a few Uncle Sam figures with a redux of Uncle Sam carved now in 2020. The Wood Bee Carver carves from a block of wood using knives to carve to basic form and then in detail. Each carving project relies heavily upon the use of creative imagination backed up with visual research of graphics of the subject. Thus, every repeat carving of a given subject will be a little different in details and appearance.
Twenty-five years ago, the Wood Bee Carver coined this instructional phrase for woodcarving instruction ~ “Wood carving is Agony and Ecstasy, but Ecstasy always follows the Agony.” This saying helped to explain a common experience this carver had with almost every carving project in its beginning stage of development. Even after almost fifty years of carving, this experience occurs at the beginning stage of any carving project. It is an experience of a feeling that the project will not turn out the way it has been imagined and that it will be a mess or a disaster. This feeling is called the “Agony” stage. Likewise, once this Agony feeling is accepted for what it is as the “tension of the creative process,” the next stage of “Ecstasy” comes to the forefront as the “creative process opens to the fix” by turning the chaos into a path forward. The lesson to be learned, is not to give up too soon but to trust the creative process to work with the tension of challenges by allowing imagination to guide towards the “fix” as the carving project develops on its way to it finishing touches. Ecstasy always follows the Agony, so relax to continue to carve out of chaos.
Keith Radick has a strong face with character that is a good subject for study. He is not only an accomplished carver but he also is a good sport by granting me permission to use his face for this study. The face on a WANTED poster is intended to be studied in case you ever see this character.
Mark Akers is one of the instructors at the October Renegade Woodcarving Roundup in Lebanon, TN. The photos are of some of his projects of shelf sitters, bottle stopper and ornament. The 3 monsters come from the same rough out. Attendees at the Round Up are sure to have a good time.
HAVE HOE – WILL PLANT is a commission carving of a lady gardener that is carved out of a seven inch tall, two inch by three inch block of basswood using a series of carving knives. The simple verbal description included a gray hair lady with a braid draping over her right shoulder with length going to her waist. She is wearing a light blue tee shirt, khaki shorts, red tennis shoes, and is holding a packet of seeds in one hand and the hoe leaning on her left shoulder. A cat is rubbing against her right leg at the ankle.
Old Sawdust is a carving representing an old wood worker who represents the old days of working with hands guided by the accumulated experience of working with wood. He is holding a plane, a saw and has a pencil in the pocket of his apron. Each of those tools were essential for hands on craftsmanship. There are lessons to learn by listening to old timers who tell of what was learned in the experience of doing. Lessons that contemporary wood carvers can apply to the carving experience since much of carving is done by hand (with apologies to power carvers).