[RoundRiver]

Wow Eleanor,

It is really shaping up!...I knew your abillity to sculpt was present when I first saw the modle you've created to work from, I am however curious to hear how you like the wood as a media? Obviosley it is more dificult(harder), but are you finding there is more inspiration comming out of the wood? love to hear your thoughts on this as I am currently doing the opposite.

great work,

russell

[love2carve2]

Wow Eleanor,
That is shaping up very nicely. You are doing a wonderful job. I am enjoying following the progress of this piece.
Mary

[bygeorge]

Eleanor, really nice flow to the hair! Also nice job on the chin and lips. Thanks for the pictures and look forward to your progress.

Chuck

[Spookhouse]

Beautiful flow on the hair and i like the spooky feel of the project consider me a fan.

[Eleanor]

Well all your kind encouragement seems to have paid off, I finally got it finished after a few very long days in the shed, here it is after a couple of coats of oil ( I think I'll be oiling it for quite a while yet) on its pillow...you know without a deadline I never finish anything, so I finished it for a competition, it'll be interesting to see if they choose it to put it in the show ( it's the sort of competition where you're not guaranteed to get your work shown and I'm not in the "in " art crowd in the UK!)

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I think your carving is great, but I have to ask out of curiosity, why this particular subject matter?

[Eleanor]

Thanks ! It's a local legend - I live near the town of Bury St Edmunds and was intrigued by the story - a Christian king murdered by vikings who died fighting for his people became a saint when his head was miraculously guarded by a wolf. The head called out to the men searching for it in the thickets where the vikings threw it. Spooky and kind of absurd, but moving all the same. St Edmund is buried, of course, in Bury St Edmunds, but very few people round here would know the legend.

[Tom H]

Eleanor, That's quite a piece of sculpture! The grain pattern works with the curls in a very nice way. I think you'll be suprised in the competition....Tom H

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Make up or print up or whatever a showcard with the legend and history of it......that will do it!

[Thor]

Eleanor,
What can one say? That is outstanding. The grain worked so well after you oiled it, the curls are wonderful, his head is gruesome without being horrific, and the choice of how you displayed it works so well with the shape and the theme! Great piece.
I do hope you get to show it off in the competition, but entry level judges can be very tough to get by. I'm sure, if it is displayed, then the public will genuinely enjoy seeing it, and it will score high.
Please let us know how it does.
Again, great piece.
Thor