New Pic; old carving

AlArchie · #1 03-28-2003, 12:29 PM

I just posted a picture of a thunderbird mask I did several years back. It's in the Native American section of the picturetrail site. I'm also trying to find a pic of a recent pipestone calumet I did last spring, and if i can find it I'll post that there, too.

Al

lorax · #2 03-28-2003, 12:38 PM

Okay, I give, what's a Pipestone Calumet?

Nancy_G · #3 03-28-2003, 01:23 PM

Al, the mask is awesome .......beautiful.

AlArchie · #4 03-28-2003, 02:09 PM

Lorax, a calumet is a ceremonial Native American medicine pipe. Â*They are commonly called 'peace pipes', but that is not exactly what they were/are. Â*Although the bowls were made of various materials, from plain wood, to clay, to carved stone, the most common material is pipestone. Â*Minnesota pipestone was one of the more popular materials. Â*It is also known as catlinite, and is quarried in central Minnesota. Â*Catlinite is a medium red-brown in color, is easily carved and takes a nice polish.

Pipe stems run the gamut from plain wood to highly decorated and intricately carved. Â* Â*They were commonly made from sumac branches whose soft Â*pith is easily removed. Â*Some of the more intricately carved were made from beech or basswood and the stems were burned out with hot copper wires, or the wood was split, then the smoke chambers delicately carved out and the stems then reassembled and laced or wrapped back together with rawhide. Â*

Here's a site where I have a few pics posted of my last medicine pipe (calumet) http://groups.MSN.com/WildWoodAlbumsatMSN/al.MSNW

Somewhere along the line, I misplaced my pics of this on my computer, so I can't post them on picturetrails site.
Al

#5 03-28-2003, 08:05 PM

Al,

What a great finish you have on your carved mask. That mask is a great piece of work.
Thanks for sharing.

Woody01

AlArchie · #6 03-28-2003, 10:09 PM

Nancy and Woody, thanks for your kind words.

Al

#7 03-30-2003, 12:33 AM

Al, you do some really amazing work, my friend. More, please :-)

Teri

AlArchie · #8 03-30-2003, 08:06 AM

Thank you, Terry! When i get some more done I'll post them; trouble is I can only manage to get a few pieces done each year. Right now I'm totally bogged down in this puffin project. I can't seem to get a good image in my head, and until I do, the block of wood will continue to be a block of wood. Karen suggested that maybe I should refinish the frog to clear my head, so maybe I'll do that first.

I wonder if other carvers have that same dillema, or approach to carving; a solid 3D image in your mind before being able to work on a project, or can you work into a project a little at a time, and just watch it develop? sometimes I wish I could work that way, maybe I'd get more done.

Al

#9 03-30-2003, 07:46 PM

AlArchie,

If you are talking about the Puffin bird maybe the book Carving Miniature Wildfowl by Robert Guge will help.
ISBN 0-8117-0401-7
Page 37 thru 51
Hope this is of help

Woody01

AlArchie · #10 03-30-2003, 08:21 PM

Thanks, Woody, I'll check that one out. I have gotten quite a few photos of puffins from friends here on the bbs, but am still having trouble getting it fixed in my head. That may sound a mite strange, but, I don't kow why, if I can't actually see the darn thing in my mind as a real image, it doesn't transfer to the knife. Once I do get it fixed, I can almost dispense with the pattern. So........I'll keep looking at pictures, feathers, etc. till it gells. In the meantime I'll check that book.

thanks again!

Al