[Mark Gargac]

I decided to go with some color, and leave some of the natural color of the bark.
I used acrylic washes for the colored areas, then sprayed the carving with some satin lacquer. No BLO on this one Lynn! After drying almost 24 hours, I made up a mixture of turpentine and jet black oil paint in a baby food jar,mixed well, and applied, I let this mixture sit on the carving for about 5 min, the longer the mixture sits on the carving, the darker it becomes, I then then wiped off excess with a cotton cloth. Applying this mixture mellows the paint, gets rid of the shine, and antiques all in one step.
Thanks everyone for your imput and comments.

[Colin_Partridge]

Wow Mark what can I say except simply outstanding. Not only the carving but the finish. A true work of art your pieces are always an inspiration to me.
colin

[slivers&dust]

I would have given it 10 thumbs up but I guess we can only use four images

[Coffeeman]

Mark, Fantastic carving, features, color & finish. Thanks for sharing and teaching me some new things. Really impressive piece, it captures the true Mtn. Man for me. Bill

[Ashbys]

Mark ,

I like it , but I miss the brightness of your blo finished that looked more buffed I guess I like the shinny finishes =)

[Kenny_S]

The more I looked at your carving, the more I liked it. Frist thought was, Not up to Mark's usual standards but I guess it is the finish that made me think that as the carving was excellent. Went back several times and yes, I like it Mark. Totally different finish than what you usually have on your carvings. I like it. To me.it gives it a softer look .
Excellent out side of the box finish!

[Irishman]

That dark finish gives him a different look. He looks even more worn and haggard looking with the colors going into the crevices. Once again, a great carving.
Patrick

[Anthony Filetti]

...it doesn't get any better! Nice job on the finish to enhance this character.

[jimbronaugh]

Being new to carving, I am not too sure what bark carving is, but I know I want to look into it. This is great. It looks like it was carved on the inside of a large piece of bark. how great is that. I will search throught the posts and vind out more.

[squbrigg]

Outstanding piece Mark. The detail and character in the face mark it as an exceptional piece, and the staining sets it off beautifully. Great job!!!

Bob