PNW Panel

[scooter]

Here is a panel I recently completed. For lack of a better label, I'm calling it Haida style.

I learned a lot doing this. One is to be selective about the wood I use. Fence boards do not make the best quality carving wood. Carving across the grain was an adventure. I'm sticking with yellow cedar. And next time I'm going to be bolder with my cuts. When the paint went on, it seemed to mask the cuts, rendering them almost moot.

About 26" x 18". Red cedar and acryllic paint.


S~

[pallin]

Very nice work, Scooter! I think some of the PNW carvers do the fine cuts AFTER the paint is applied, but they deny it.
You've done quite well with the "fence boards."

[Robson Valley]

I like it scooter.
Killer Whale, good use of restrictive style to fit the wood area available.
I'm slowly learning that my carved grooves in relief need to be 2X to 3X as deep as I used to make them.

Paint first? Carve first? I do both. Can you remember the Raven Stealing the Sun wall mask that I did? The flames and night sky on the arms was paint first and do the finish outline carving last. Raven's face & wing feathers were carved first.

Yeah, and they're going to tell you that they don't know one end of a chainsaw from the other in the carving shed, either.

[Bob K.]

Very nice job on those panels Scooter!

[scooter]

Thank you,

Yes, perhaps I should've mentioned it's a killer whale. I guess to me, since I've been looking at it for so long, it was obvious what it is.

Yah, the old paint first/carve first debate. The thing with painting first is that it sometimes masks the grain which, when carving something as chatter-y as red cedar, the carver simply must know where it is at all times. Even though some consider 'painting first' cheating, or a necessary evil, I'm not against it; it's all the same to me.

I carved this first, before painting. And if I do say so myself, I think I did pretty well with the painting portion. Magnifiers, a proper paintbrush, due diligence, and a zen-like comportment lent themselves well to some crisp , detailed lines (although you can't relly tell from the picture).

Looking forward to the next piece (Dunno what that's going to be yet though. Waiting for inspiration to strike ).


S~

[Dileon]

Great job, and the design is perfect!

[Robson Valley]

I only pointed out that it was a Killer Whale because to me it was obvious, maybe not so to many others. The blow hole, the high dorsal fin and the tail. You did a good design job of filling those. You crammed that restrictive design onto that piece of wood in a very clever way.

I can't carve first then paint, not any more. My hands don't work well enough any more (most days) to do that. I do whatever makes the result look good. Who really cares how it was done?

[carver33]

Beautiful job - I really like it.