[doris]

so, little putto starts to sharpen up now, but still so much to do ... i changed both his legs once again, i hope is now finally going where i want to, need to soften the lines still though... i dont know if i can pull him off, i like the upper part despite the face is not ready yet, but the lower part is somehow odd...and dont understand yet what bothers me.....maybe i should start another carving..?....

[doris]

ok, next update ... i have roughed out the tassels, carved his face, and am close to completion. only majoor thing still missing completely are his feet. then a few details, and off we go to new projects... hope you still enjoy that one (?)...

[jmuscel]

I think it looks great! The tassels are looking really nice and look closer to complete than roughed out. The movement in this piece is wonderful, I can almost see him moving around and I can hear the sounds of " Talk"
Great work Doris!
Joe

[BRIAN D]

Good Job! Doris, as I said before defiantly that light heartedness. I'm sure it will look good in the garden. BRIAN D.

[doris]

thanks joe, and brian :-)

hi everybody :-)

i would never had said "close to completion" if i had had an idea how much work the tassels were ... lol ... glad i did only 6 tassles on each side, and not 15 like a real cardinals hat has ...lol... but, here is finally little cherub finished :-)

he measures 30cm=12'' high, and is 1''deep. ... its first time i tried to put some color, as i mentioned this little cherub was inspired by one in a church, and that is brightly painted. so, somehow, all the time i carved him, i saw that the hat is bright red, and the cushion is bright blue ... now, i did not want have bright colors, and i did not want paint red cheeks and lips or such, but my feeling said i have to color him ... so, ...

...i tried to achieve a more subtle coloring, i have seen and admired on several carvings here at wci. my approach was like this : first i put a thin layer nonshiny transparent varnish, to ensure the coloring will be more even. after that dried, 24 hours, the grain showed up nicely. then i used two liquid beewax glazes, one transparent, the other in a reddish brown, called "teak". that beewaxglaze i applied with a small brush. i used pure "teak" for the hat with tassels. i used the transparent one on the wings. then i mixed transparent with very very little teak and used that for the boy, and then mixed in another drop of teak, to get it slightly darker, for the cushion... after that dried, the colors were for my taste a little too contrasting, so i put a layer of brown briwax on everything, except the wings. this made colors i like, and gave a nice subtle shine.

i put a larger foto into the gallery, so you can see details better... on my screen the colors are too faint, in reality they are rich but not bright...

i hope you enjoy :-)

[Keoma]

siiigh...Doris...you forever amaze me!

[Kenny_S]

Very very nice Doris. Love the subtle coloring.

[mark yundt]

Doris,,very traditional and very classic. I have revisited those tassels many times in various churches. It looks as though you captured a segment of a larger piece and recreated it wonderfully. All the elements are there in the form,movement and execution. You've carved a page out of antiquity. Great job.

[doris]

keoma, ah, you know, a while after i am completed with a carving, i hardly can believe that i did that, and become amazed myself ! ..thanks for your nice words... kenny, i am glad you enjoy the coloring, i was so unsure to put it :-) ... mark, yes, the original putto which inspired mine is a small part from a huge altarpiece... as usual (here in germany) putto are filled in to balance a composition,, they are the "minor" figures, but i often enjoy them almost more than the "main" ones...
thank you all for your comments, i very enjoy :-)

[Alice in Wonderland]

Amazing work Doris and just beautiful, it reminds me of the old church I went to as a child in Augustusburg im Erzgebirge , they were always looking down on you and you wondered what they were up to. Thanks for sharing your work .
Alice