The term “BLOCK HEAD CARVING” is coined to describe the carving process of carving from a “block” of wood and using one’s “head” in the carving process to shape the wood into a carving project.  The use of “head” refers to the carver’s imagination partnering with the carver’s creative carving ability to figure out how to carve an envisioned image.  This approach of opening up a block of wood being guided by imagination is to discover in the shaping process the “design by carving”.  Often in the process of removing wood chips the remaining carved facets on the shaped block will suggest an innovation in design of the envisioned image. Read the rest of this entry »

The WOOD BEE CARVER approaches each carving project as a learning experience with continuing discoveries in the carving process.  Long he has encouraged carvers to do a twenty minute a day exercise of experimenting with a carving tool and a piece of wood to discover a variety of cuts and maneuvers in shaping a piece of wood as the cutting tool slices through the wood.  Coupled with that idea is the experience that the more one carves the better one carves because of the ongoing learning process. Carving with greater frequency allows for the carver’s imagination to grow with creativity which contributes to a sharpening of carving skill and creative design.  All of which are inherent in the motto: “Would be carvers would be carvers if they would carve wood.” Read the rest of this entry »

CHRISTMAS IS MEMORIES ~ Memories Remembered ~ Memories Being Made ~ Make Some Memories This Christmas.

Rich Smithson of HELVIE KNIVES has invited the Signature Series Knife carvers to carve a caricature carving holding a Signature Series knife.  This is the WOOD BEE CARVER’s carving that is a “selfie” using the DRAGON II Signature Series Knife as a cane. Read the rest of this entry »

The carving entitled “Wingtip” is an illustration for a discussion about “Artistic Expressive Opinions” in the design motifs of the Whittle-Carving style of carving only with a knife. These Artistic Opinions are what guides the WOOD BEE CARVER having been discovered in the woodcarving journey of the past forty years of knife carving. That Journey continues to make discoveries and innovations are constantly being employed. Read the rest of this entry »

The SIDE KICK Signature Series Knives were designed to be a combination slicing knife in three sizes for roughing out the basic form of a carving subject.  Since the WOOD BEE CARVER carves using a block of wood rather than a sawed out blank or machined rough out, a multiple purpose carving knife is very versatile in shaping the basic form. The subject used in this illustration is of Joseph, the carpenter carved in a block of basswood nine inches tall, three inches wide and two inches thick. The photo on the top right shows the completed carving beside the basswood block to be carved in the roughing out stage using the larger SIDE KICK. Read the rest of this entry »

Eight Students of the River Valley Wood Carving club participated in a three-day class entitled “The A-B-C’s of Face Carving” on November 2, 3 and 4, 2016. The students pictured in the photo above are (first row ~ left to right) Donna Waller, Barry Penningtgon, Charlie Brown, Dick Middleton (second row ~ left to right) Ed Handy, Gwen Provins, Lee Dryer and Bill Wright. Read the rest of this entry »