[Irish]

Hey Gang!

With everyone in the Summer Doldrums how about we hold a small, impromptu carving show here on the forum? (P O S T) on this thread what ever project you currently have on your work bench whether its 3-D characters, bird carvings, wood spirits, relief work, Santa, or pyrography. Just grab your camera or go to your scanner and share with all of us your carving no matter what stage of work you are currently doing.

I think that it would be fun for everyone to get to see the variety of wood carving and wood burning that the forum members do all in one place. Plus we will have the fun of learning new tricks and techniques from the “work in progress� postings.

First Place Winner (which I sincerely believe everyone will qualify for) gets a whole bunch of Ohhs and Ahhs plus a lot of pats on the back …


My current project is a relief carving of a pair of pheasants along a split rail fence. The background is a farm scene with foreground trees. I am hoping that when it is finished the foreground trees and split rail fence will be nearly free standing. It’s being worked on a 2� x 24� x 6� piece of butternut that is a real bear! The tree from which it came could not have been 10� thick so I am fighting both the bark edge and the heartwood with lots of direction changes in the grain. But I am determined to best this beast. I am still in the rough out stage.

Susan

[squbrigg]

That's a beuatiful looking piece Susan, it's coming right along. Take your time, Butternut is a great wood, but it does offer some interesting problems, though the results are usually worth it.

Good idea for a thread too.....haven't been doing much carving for a while....but finished another burning and continue to work on my fishermans race scene. Sails are a challenge, the schooners and the sea is almost complete, but much to do on the sails for both schooners. Do I win a cookie?

Bob

[Irish]

Bob, beautiful work. I love the idea of the ships coming out of the water. I have never seen that before!!! The waves are perfect, I can feel the ocean rolling under the deck.

YES! You win the first First Place prize of this thread!!!!

Susan

PS ... Love the offset to the ship in the burning. Plus the addition of the deep background shoreline make the ocean feel much deeper then your first burning. Once again, wonderful detailing in the ship ... but I have come to expect that type of attention to fine work in your projects.

[wade clark]

Beautiful carving!
Great idea too. I'll try to get a couple pictures up this weekend.
Wade

[Colin_Partridge]

I am a little embarrased to put my picture in after seeing your guys work already I only wish I had your talents. What I have posted is a really rough out stage of a new carving I am doing. I have stepped out of my comfort zone ( can you believe I am not carving a woodspirit. What this is is a large piece of white pine probably about two feet in diameter and three feet high. What it is supposed to be ( I call it "Mother and Child") is a mother looking down at her child with love and understanding of what has upset the child. It will be in abstract form, I have never done an abstact.
Colin

[Irish]

Colin,

Even though this is in the rough-out stage I can already see the Mother's form. You have a great s-curve through her hips, back and head that will really add to the abstract form ... nice, smooth and flowing! Is the baby going to be a separate piece or it he part of the front area of the carving?

Susan

PS ... perhaps what I am seeing as Praying Hands of the Mother is really the head of the baby?

[BobD]

Haven't actually been carving much--I just got Revenge of the Sith for my Playstation--and Anakin's winning right now <grin>


But I did just finish turning this for my wife for our anniversary today. It's a Harry Potter-style wand turned out of black cherry. I haven't finish sanded it or waxed it yet--I'm still a novice turner, and ended up applying too much pressure and broke the end off. But I'll sand and wax it--and no one will know the difference!

[squbrigg]

Thanks Wade and Susan, I took your advice on this burning: bit off center with some land ahead to give it movement. Worked pretty well. The schooners are going to be a lively carving, I'm trying to catch them dancing on the waves. One plowing her nose into a wave and the other leaping free of one.

Nothing like being on the real thing though.....best ride of your life if you ever get the opportunity, a ship in heavy seas!!! Kind of like riding on a run-a-way horse or the wildest roller-coaster you can find!

Colin...good to see you stretching your wings son! Great start. Please keep us posted on your progress.

Bob

[Irish]

BobD,

Here's your Cookie prize for the wood turning but I don't think I have one for Revenge of the Sith (search ... search ... route .. search ... peek under stack of papers ...), sorry! Video Game prizes were never one of my strong suits. If you remember Way Back When with Mario Brothers, yea I meant way back, I could get to the third level then there was this area in the sky where there were all those moving platforms you had to jump acros ... well, I never made it. Now my stinky little 9-year old son, who is now 6'5" and away at college, would just bounce through that stage laughing at his inept Momma all the way.

So, good sir, get your nose back to the grind stone by getting a carving project on your table.

Colin, After I posted I had a moment to do some thinking and wanted to note that abstract art, at least in fine arts, is the hardest form of the styles. Trying to reduce a complex series of elements into as few basic shapes and lines as possible is NOT an easy process. So although the finish piece is simple in its shapes and lines it by no means is simple to design nor execute.

Susan

Susan

[artolver]

I am carving cottonwood bark Santas and tree ornaments for the Santafest at "Reasons to Believe" in Kirkland,Wa....July 8-10
Great fun....
Art