Added vines to frame face

[Irishman]

Sometime ago you may have seen this same face posted in the gallery. I don't like to go back to already completed carvings but my daughter (the art critic) recommended I cover the upper anatomy of this female with something. As a result of her recommendation, I added some vine work to frame the face and cover the chest area. I also took away some of the bulky look to her hair which was originally intended to give her a wild warrior princess look. The wood is birch and stands 5 ft plus. All I added was oil and a sealer which gave her the gold complexion.
Patrick

[Thor]

I absolutely love it. The vines sure make her stand out as a very original piece of your work.
Christina

[toycarver]

Gosh yes, that is really beautiful.

[Irishman]

Thank you Christina and Kris. Vine work is new for me so I certainly appreciate the complements coming from fine carvers like yourselves.
Patrick

[tnartist05]

I more than agree with your daughter,the vines plus the hair and other details make her a stronger looking young lady of mystery.
Shes oustanding!!

Forrest

[Merle Rice]

Hi Patrick, That finishes it off, and is a great piece of art, I also like the Birch Bark, the contrast makes the carving stand out. Excellent Patrick. Merle

[Irishman]

Nice to be posting again and hearing from the members.
Forrest, I do my best to listen to the advice I receive from the women of the house...if I don't, I certainly will hear it anyway Ladies I'm just kidding of course.
Merle, birch is my favorite raw wood if you haven't guessed by now. I do my best to keep the bark in place. I considered spraying it with a sealer to prolong its longevity but I've been advised to let nature take its course.
Thanks for your feedback.
Patrick

[mrgrouch]

she's beautiful... in my humble opinion the vines complete her, really make her face stand out, but i sure would have loved to see her before the vines...
can i ask how long ago was the original carving made? i noticed some cracks on it... it must be so painful to see crack appear on a piece like that...
cheers

[Irishman]

Hello mrgrouch, and thanks for your comments. This carving was originally posted in the gallery back the end of December of 2009 so I expect that's around the time I finished carving her too. If you can't find her in the gallery, just go to my site Irishman Carvings and you will see her in the gallery with the old pictures.
As for the cracks, well that's the chance you take with raw wood. My experience is if I seal the face quickly once I finish carving the piece, it cuts down on the checking. I've been pretty fortunate as to the location of the cracking. Birch is hard and dense so the cracking is usually not real extensive...plus I try to carve down 8 -12 inches from the top to lessen the likelihood of crackes.
Patrick

[draft51@aol.com]

I've never commented on your work before now, but I must say what a beautiful job you did on that carving. I would be extremely proud, and I thank you for sharing, its a winner. fred k