Bobble Head Santa was the subject of a posting on November 28, 2010 which was the beginning of a fun project.  The four photographs above are of a second Bobble Head Santa.  Every carving project is a learning experience in that while one is carving, one is also learning innovations one can make in carving a second  similar project.  Thus there is great value in repeating a project subject over and over again to learn from each one.  No two will be exactly alike since the creative process is continuously making revisions and subtle changes to enhance the over all appearance.  The procedure used for carving a Santa Bobble Head can be duplicated  for any other theme as is illustrated in the second bobble head that follows.

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The carving of Santa and Snowman in the middle of a wreath is a Harley Schmitgen design that was carved from one of his rough outs.  This photograph was used as our Christmas card in 2009.  My sister was so taken by the unique design that she commissioned me to carve two smaller versions of the Harley Schmitgen original.  Harley, who is an Emeritus CCA member, is noted for his relief portraits carved out of two inch thick wood that looks like it is a much larger carving in the round.  The two carvings that are the subject of this posting were each  carved in the round out of a five inches tall by three and a half inches square block of basswood.  Traditional gouge carving tools were used in this carving project.  Read the rest of this entry »

Bobble Head Santa is a fun little project  carved out of a basswood hen egg for the head and the body carved out of a three inch tall by an inch and half square block of basswood.  The spring was made using stainless steel wire wrapped around a quarter inch diameter  bolt and then epoxied to the head and the body.  Artist oil paint and boiled linseed oil  was the primary finish while  the white fur trim of the hat and coat were painted with acrylic white paint.

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 Hugh O’Neal of Munford, Alabama is a carving friend whom I met two years ago while teaching a carving class at Charlie Leverett’s Northeast Alabama carving studio.  Hugh is a good example of the benefit of participating in a carving class in that he was inspired to grow in his carving abilities.  Already an accomplished carver in his own right, Hugh learned a couple of “door opening” lessons that led him into his own room of creativity.  The WOOD BEE CARVER’s method of teaching is to teach the “how-to’s and the method” while each student carves his own style.  Hugh has done just that by taking a few of the simple step-by-step procedures to transpose his imagination into a very artist style as is evident by the photographs that follow. Read the rest of this entry »

Gary Batte is one of the founding members of the Caricature Carvers of America.  Recently, one of his carvings was accepted into the George W. Bush Presidential Library.  His bio page from CCA may be viewed at this site http://www.cca-carvers.org/bio-pages/batte.html.

John Burke  was remembered at the Artistry in Wood Show in Dayton, Ohio with a display of his signature carvings including the Caricature Scene of “Leroy’s Garage.”  Noted for his Native American and Mountain Men carvings, John also created Santa carvings, bronzes and rustic Western furniture.  Perhaps where he excelled the most was through his instructional advancement of woodcarving  and the number of his students who became instructors in their own right.  He and his lovely wife Nancy sponsored the long running Western Art and Wildlife Seminar as well as manufacturing the famous “Burke Sharpening System.”  The woodcarving family remembers  John with great affection and humorous anecdotes of John’s wit and fun loving ways.  He has certainly carved a place in our room called “Remember.”   A previous memorial tribute may be viewed in the January 30, 2010 posting under Carving Friends.

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As a follow up of the “Silent Auction” project for Artistry in Wood Show in Dayton, Ohio of carving a duck-that-is-not-a-duck out of a duck body rough out the photographs to follow will give an example of the creativity and imagination of wood carvers.  Some carvers stayed fairly close to the original shape while carving thier imaginative ideas.  Others carved away a lot of the excess wood to present a carving that fit into their realm of expertise.  All in all it was a fun project with the proceeds from the silent auction being divided between the United Rehabilitation Services  and the carver. United Rehabilitation Services is the chaity that the Artisty in Wood and Dayton Carvers Guild donate at least $5000 a year as a way to give the gift of carving back to the community in a very helpful manner.  Woodcarvers are not “chiselers” but are generous in more ways that just carving. Read the rest of this entry »