I have been pondering....

[Bartster]

for the past few days i have been doing some thinking carving, when i do this i sit down with only a knife {usually a pocketknife} a pencil and a block of wood,well i finished 2 carvings and have started a 3rd, i do this from time to time just to do it and go back to the very basics of carving, what i want to know is has anyone else done this if you havent you should try, it really brings out the creativity, and it takes you back to when carving was mainly done sitting on the front porch with a pocketknife and making toys for the kids, so i guess what i am saying is get a block of wood and a knife any knife and sit and give it a try you will be suprised at what can be done with just one tool, ok i am thru rambling.

bart

[Terry Vance]

Pictures...

[gene-messer]

I didnt know ole friend .. there was any other way to carve ,, (smile)

Bart .. isnt it the most relaxing type of carving around ? . no worries .. no specific plan . no pressure what it will be .. just having fun and thinking ..
Wonderful !

Its called relax carving .. and it is a joy to do . ole time whittling they use to cal it ..
it refreshes the mind and stimulates the creative side ..
and in the end .. you have a nice little keepsake ..

I enjoy this type of carving the most . because it relieves my sanity .. for a moment .. you just forget about the rest of the world and carve .. what bliss

Gene

[Goody]

Bart,
I do this almost everyday. It is my relief from stress and its how I deal with pain. My doctors have asked me why I refuse the narcotic pain killers for all I have going on. If I am going to get addicted to something, its going to be carving. I have a little shed behind the house with ac/heat, electricity, xm radio, bear-cave as my wife calls it. With in a few minutes after I am there and I have a knife and a piece of wood in my hands I can mentally tune everything else out. I get so relaxed out there that I have Been known to fall asleep for hours at a time. Now when I am over the shop its different its more like work with every tool and machine I need but getting back to basics with a couple of knives, a strop, my glove and a blank or a piece of wood is what I enjoy the most.
Goody

[carver33]

Yep, I even lose the pencil. I often pick up a piece of wood, make a couple of cuts and see where it leads. This can be very relaxing and pretty darn satisfying.

[Bartster]

terry,

i will post pics when they are dry i put an experimental finish on them and waiting to see how it turns out.

bart

and i agree with ya'll it is very relaxing.

[Donald K. Mertz]

Bart, thanks for doing some "carving thinking" and for inspiring us all to do more of what you have described. I often suggest that every carver should do a "twenty minute workout" every day by taking a piece of wood and a carving tool and for twenty minutes see what all that tool can do to that piece of wood. What happens if done every day is the "mind, eye and hand coordination" become automatic so that the carver no longer has to "think" what cut to do next, it just comes AND just as important, that twenty minute grows into several hours of pleasurable carving by getting lost in the carving process. Which leads to a truism-- "The more one carves the better one carves." And who knows where creativity will lead. Let's all follow Bart's lead. BEE CARVEFUL, Don

[cgm]

Hi Bart, thanks for the reminder. I agree that type of carving is very relaxing!
Carl

[draft51@aol.com]

I like sometime to just pick up a scrap of wood and just make a crazy face,the wood usually takes me there. It the most relaxing thing to do, and a feel good exercise. I think to Forrest, and he seems to pick up any old thing he finds, and look what he creates. Well , I've said enough. fred k

[jimmy joe]

I enjoy this type of carving the most . I definitely think it breeds creativity and is a great way to beat the stress . It also produces one of a kind pieces . That makes them special in my book .