Why, the subjects you carve

[Caril Chasens]

May I respectfully ask...
People, why do you choose the subjects you do?
I notice certain images are often carved: wood spirits, the range of frequently-done caricature subjects, Santas, certain birds and fish, and more.
Why and what, folks, are you personally moved to carve?

[Dileon]

For me I know what I will not carve....so what ever is left, I will carve. smile Di

[Freebird11]

Wood carving is a broad term that encompasses any form of working wood with a tool in a kind of aesthetic object. Rarely refer to a non-aesthetic wood wood carving, wood carving, but some may be functional, such as handmade chairs, tools and panels. Humans have been wood carving for thousands of years, and examples of this art form can be seen in almost all societies worldwide.

The ancient history of wood carving is not as complete as many forms of art such as statues of stone, simply because the wood tends to degrade over centuries or millennia. Some good early examples of woodcarving can be found in ancient Egypt, however, with precious wood paneling and stories hieroglyphics carved into them, and the iconic wooden sarcophagi mummy found in several graves. A particularly beautiful wood carving was found in Egypt is believed to date back nearly six thousand years, carved in the likeness of a man in a block of sycamore and inlaid with brass, ebony, rock crystal and quartz.

[markken5889]

As for me, I mostly carve what I'm interested in, or what I get a request to do for a friend or family member. Mostly I'm interested in antique-looking duck decoys as an art form, or songbirds, but I also will do walking sticks, or even relief-carving of scenes. Enjoy!

Mark

[Sakujazz]

I carve birds, and mostly raptors because of their appearance ...I also can give them a certain look by the way I will make their eyebrow.

[Tom-H]

For me, it's my "comfort zone". And I define my comfort zone as what I have practiced the most at the time. This can be very limiting if one is not careful..and I'm not very careful!

Tom H

[William]

I live on the lower shore of Maryland about 30 miles from the home of the Ward Brothers so this decoy country, if you walk into any office around here that has a woodcarving on display it's a decoy so that was just a natural place for me to start and to date most of my carvings are ducks.

Over the years I've done many different things but when I was searching for reference material for the female face I came across 19th century marble sculpture and began using them because they can be converted to wood very easily. I fell in love with neoclassical sculpture and to date I've done 4 of Hiram Powers works and currently working on one by Raffaello Monti and one of my own design but I think it's just a matter of time before most carvings will be neoclassical.

Bill
^v^

[SlowMover]

I like people, so I carve caricatures. I am not confident in making the female form (Mine all turn out like witches), so I stick to men, and since I am and older guy I frequently carve old irascible characters.

[Dan Wegiel]

Hi,
For me I pick up a piece of wood and just start whacking away, whatever shows up......shows up! For some unknown reason I'll see something hiding in the grain of the wood then try and bring out what I invision, don't care to follow a pattern just let the wood tell me what to do which is the most fun.
Dan

[TreeWizard]

I carve mostly creatures of my imagination. Gargoyl's, Dragons, goblins etc. I guess it's because no one has ever seen one, it's hard for them to say "That's not what they look like."