[Colin_Partridge]

Here are a few carvings I completed this weekend along with two more walking sticks. I dont have pictures of the walking sticks as yet will post later. These were carved out of bass wood just trying some more expressions. I know one day soon I am going to step out of my comfort zone and shock you all with something other than a woodspirit.
Colin

[Lightningbolt]

Nice new expressions there and I really like the "sad" one. I know what you mean about leaving the comfort zone and being the creatures of habit that we surely are, I also tend to get stuck there too. You have a unique style of carving woodspirits and I know that I'd recognize your work if I ever happened to cross it on the street... or in the woods :-). At some point I'm gonna try to carve a woodspirit using your style but I probably won't post the first attempt!!

Thanks for posting!

[Ashbys]

Colin ,

I love them! Nicely done .

Ash

[Thor]

Colin,
I can't believe how productive you are, especially with your injured shoulder!
The expressions are whimsical and interesting. My favorite is the one that stands alone in the photo, but I like them all.
After reading the other post on the bear staff, I look forward to seeing what your interpretation of a bear will be. Your wood spirits aren't too far off of the bear theme already.
, are you carving these with your chain saw? They look small for that, but I don't know anything about chain saw carving so I thought I would ask.
Thor

[Dennis Taylor]

Colin, I am new to this whole carving experience, and have been watching this site, the Wood Spirits, are great, we went to a large craft show, and there was a booth, which appears every year, and he does wonderful Wood Spirits, with great expressions.....I only hope one day to make the same Wood Spirits, half as well as your's....great work...Dennis

[GaryMc]

Great job a usual Collin, keep sending the pictures they are inspiring!
GaryMc

[kaiserb]

Those are awesome looking Colin.

[Just Carving]

Hi Colin

Great work! The facial expressions are great. You should be doing something else GREAT, but I know how you feel about the comfort zone.

I get comfortable--not good, but satisfied with what I have accomplished--and then eventually I get bored with what I'm doing. So, I look at what I can do--as they say, go with what you know--and take a different twist on it. Example: I started out and liked carving signs because I do a lot of freehand lettering and pictorial presentation work with my job, but I wanted to add relief carving. So I carved a few 2D ornaments--similar to my work, but but I aded more detial as I went along to get closer to three dimensional. I'm now trying out carving in the round--would you believe a caricature?!? And I didn't think I'd want anything to do with carving #D or caricatures! I guess it grows on you...

Woodspirits can be carved in different uses. Carve a caricature of a man with a woodspirit's face. Carve a pumpkin in the round with a woodspirit for the face. Carve a Santa with a woodspirit's face--that is, if you haven't done any of these already. Next thing you know, you'll be doing a real life carving of or a caricature a man with a long beard and an old tired face!

Okay, I'm done poking my nose in other people's carving...

[Ron Davidson]

Colin- Great job as usual. Your shoulder must be healing some and you are feeling better. I can't decide which one I like the best, I like them all. Ron

[Colin_Partridge]

Thanks guys for all the wonderful supportive comments as I said in another thread I have never seen negative comments here. This week I plan to step out of my comfort zone and carve something entirely different. I know I have said that before and I end up carving a woodspirit again. The reason we all do this is that it is comfortable we dont have to worry about making a mistake we know how it is going to look because we have done it so many times. We know where to make the cuts and how much to take away we know what tools to use to do what we want to do. It is a comfort zone and we all like our comfort zones. Maybe thats why I have been married to the same women for fourty one years, its called reluctance to change.
Colin