Recently I was given a fisherman/sea captain figure by two carving friends who thought it looked a little like the Wood Bee Carver by its style of beard. It is one of those tourist souvenir carvings that has been around for years that used a “flat plane” style of carving technique to economically produce a lot of lookalike carvings.
Harley Refsal has been the most notable authority on Flat Plane Carving as a historian, carver and author of Flat Plane Carving projects. Flat Plane carving has its origin in Scandinavia countries and may have influenced such carvers as Emil Janel and Andy Anderson and the anonymous carvers of tourist souvenirs in cottage industry seventy five years ago.
The characteristic long and broad whittling strokes that create a “flat plane” on the surface of a carving create a minimalistic and folk art beauty to this style of carvings. Flat Plane carving offered a quick approach to earlier cottage industry for making repetitious carving strokes in an assembly line fashion to turn out carvings as cheaply as possible for the tourist gift shop trade. Read the rest of this entry »
Ft. Worth Hobo is a second version of Hillsboro Hobo as described in a previous posting under the category of Hobos. He is the second hobo that is beginning to take shape in the last series of the Hillsboro Hobo picture display.
This photographic journey is a visual study of the completion of a second hobo with similar characteristic to Hillsboro Hobo.
Lynn Doughty of Jay, Oklahoma will be honored and recognized with a one man show at the Woolaroc Museum, Bartlesville, OK November 23, 2012 through January 6, 2013. Lynn is well known in woodcarving circles for his very unique caricature carvings with a Western theme. Read the rest of this entry »
HELVIE KNIVES proudly presents …. A BASSWOOD KNIFE HANDLE CARVING CONTEST. There will be two classes from which to choose: an Intermediate Class and an Open Class. Intermediate Class is usually for beginner carvers or for people who have less than a few years carving experience. The Open Class is for everyone, regardless of experience. Read the rest of this entry »
To view a video of last year’s show go to http://www.daytonlocal.com/things-to-do/artistry-in-wood-woodcarving-woodworking-show-and-sale.asp.
Helvie Knives makes four knives according to the WOOD BEE CARVER’s design to the Signature Series of specialty knives. Rich Smithson and his wife Holli and daughter Skylar are the owners and manufacturers of the Helvie Knives line of carving knives. The Signature Series are handled with cherry wood receiving the art work of Rich who wood burns and paints the signature and logo on each knife. Read the rest of this entry »
Bud Murray makes four knives according to the WOOD BEE CARVER’s design in four different blade sizes.
The Annual Meeting of the Caricature Carvers of America will convene September 21, 2012 in Sacramento, CA. Membership is limited to twenty five active members with an additional group of Emeritus Members who have served in past years. At each Annual Meeting members trade carvings among themselves as a way to collect carvings of fellow members. Here is a sneak peek at Trade Carvings from the 2011 meeting that is normally only seen by members at annual meeting and is shared here to highlight examples of caricature carvings. Read the rest of this entry »