[MelNM]

Nice Al I agree with Susan the tree really does frame the picture well. Very well done
Mel

[Kenny_S]

I am not much of a relief carver and have not done a scene like this one, but I like the tree on the left, so much detail and the knothole sets that part off. The cabin looks to be in the colonial days and reminded me of a movie with henry Fonda in it fighting an Indian attack and everyone heading to the church for protection. Love the road leading up to the church,the plowed field on the right, a little extra for the right side.
The only thing I did not care for was how big the church was in relation to the road and the cabin. Now I liked the church as persay but looked to be bigger than it should have been.
Just my take on the carving, however, I really liked it AL and man, to carve trees in a scene like thaty. Wow! That was the first thing that caught my eye, the detail in the tree. Maybe having the top part of the tree crossing over the top. As for mountains. Well, I like it without, but keep that idea in your mind AL for a future relief. Like Dave, what do I know!

[BasketballJones]

Great job Al. I could tell a great deal of effort when into the carving. If you want my expert opinion (then ask me about something else), the color contrast stands out. What would look great to make the church stand out (large congregation needs a big church) is a pale blue sky to contrast with the white & brown. What did you seal the acrylic with?

[AlArchie]

I really appreciate all these suggestions. There is so much to consider when putting together a scene for a carving, and so many styles to work into the carving.

Susan asked about the scene development...if it was set by the instructors or of my own design. Well, it was a bit of both. Stenmans have an exceptional selection of patterns to work with, and it is possible to use elements from any or many of them.

Years ago, while travelling to the east coast, up through New York, Karen and I crested a grade on the expressway, and stretched out below us was a foggy rural scene with a white-steepled church posed on a low hillside. That scene has stuck in my mind (along with many others), and at their seminar, Stenmans had a sample carving of a church like this one, but no pattern, so I sketched out the church as best I could to the scale I wanted. I used another of their elements for the tree and cabin, but had to bring them into scale for this carving, as their patterns were not the right size.

Stenmans are great instructors and mentors, but it is also very important to me to get input and suggestions from the members here, both the professionals and fellow strivers.

And for Kenny and Dave who said "but what do I know?" You know what you like and that's the kind of ideas that I wanted to hear!

Thanks to all!

Al

[Irish]

[quote=Kenny_S] The cabin looks to be in the colonial days and reminded me of a movie with henry Fonda in it fighting an Indian attack and everyone heading to the church for protection. Love the road leading up to the church,the plowed field on the right, a little extra for the right side.
The only thing I did not care for was how big the church was in relation to the road and the cabin. Now I liked the church as persay but looked to be bigger than it should have been.
[quote]

Kenny, I don't think the church is too large especially in the context that you just placed it. Churches for small communities were the most important part of the village and many times the only milled wood building and always the largest building.

Throughout time man has built the building that represents the most important part of their culture as the tallest building. For a while it was the Gods when Greece and Roman were building temples on the tops of the mountains. Then it went to huge castles for the royal families. Then back to religion with the monterous cathedrals. Today, it's the financial district buildings ... which say alot about our culture.

Anyway, I had family come into an area just above Philadelphia circa 1660's-1670's. They came from England and at the mouth of the Delaware river they build three large river boats from the sailing ship, using the masts to get up the river. Once they hit land above Philly they used the masts for tents that everyone could live in.

After creating the mast tents I expect you can quess what their next endeavour was... yep... they built themselves a church! It stood for over a century as the Burlington Monthly Meeting House of Quakers ....

Susan

[Kenny_S]

Susan, Not to start anything and I will say ALA, did a fantastic job of carving and painting his relief and it was beautifull, but in keeping the perspective correct and distance in realationship to the road narrowing to nothing, I thought the Church was rather big for the picture. In my thinking and a lot of times it is faulty, the church looked to be a mile or so further back in comparison to the cabin. But yet was almost the same size as the cabin.

JMHO
AGAIN, ALA's relief was beautifull and I like it.
Something I only dream about carving.

Thank you for your post, I always like to read and hear what others think.

[AlArchie]

Here is an example of how two people can look at something and come away with different impressions.

Let me expand on the scene a bit. Although I used "elements" of the Stenmans' patterns, none of them were "perspectively" what I wanted so I took some, what do they call it, artistic license, and bent the rules a bit to get the effect I wanted. Susan was right, the focus of the scene is the church and the road leading to it, so I made that larger than the perspective called for. If it were smaller, it would not have had the impact that I wanted. So anyway I tried to balance the importance of the church in the scene with some quality of distance, so it had to be a bit more prominant than actual perspective would have called for. Kenny had a good eye for picking up on this, too.

Again, I really appreciate the critical comments, as well as the good ones. The critical are the ones I was actually seeking. I learn from what others see, as well as what I perceive, as long as those impressions are passed along.

Oh, Jones, the finish I use is Krylon satin spray finish. They also make a gloss but I prefer the satin finish as it has less glare. I think I'll use the gloss on the bass, though.

Al

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Susan...they made 3 long boats out of the ship, landed and used the masts for tents and the lumber from the ships to build a meeting house? aha, people after my own heart, waste not , want not LOL..........I have slivers of wood I am saving that any sane person would throw out! Yeh Kenny, I know what I just said.....I knew you would understand ha ha

[Irish]

It's quite a story, Dave. They were Quakers fleeing England and the group purchased the sailing ship so that England would have no claim on them for passage. The ship left England with about 200 passengers and six weeks later landed at the mouth of the Delaware with only 150 alive ...

They had more guts than I! And I always appreciated that their first permanent structure was their meeting house.

Susan

[Kenny_S]

No one said you had to be sane to carve or to save slivers of wood. Never know Dave when the sliver makes or breaks a carving.
Most of the time a pain in my hand

Adios Amigos,we are off to see the DOC-tor on Billie's upcoming knee surgery. She seems to be geeting around ok today which I am thankfull of. She isn't a complainer so really don't know how she is doing but she says ok.. Well, I give her nothing to complain about. heheheheheh