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A beautiful keepsake. It's timeless

I've been away from the carving studio for some time. I have been remodeling my parents home with ramps, hand grasps etc. as they are at that stage of life. Learning and observing the process of...

that works, it's attractive and functional!

Your delightful “ladders” harkens allegorical interpretations, “Jack in the beanstalk” “Jacob’s Ladder, or Grimm’ fairy tales. Though the work is seemingly light and whimsical, it (the work) is...

doth tango surely glisten raav

this piece is an eye catcher, nice work!

A personal preference of mine is to do as little sanding as possible as the slightest hint of texture reflects light much differently than a surface sanded smooth. I experiment with this on...

Thanks for showing. That requires a lot of dedication besides talent.

Daz
beautiful lines and use of materials, elegant simplicity in design. Really like it.

Some years back, about 2004 I think, I didn't have any commission work but I had left over Basswood from timbers that were milled flat on two sides for the purpose of carving fireplace mantels. I...

the head is wonderful Whit. the image with your profile is fun too!

Stunning work!

[QUOTE...
Supose that i wanted to make a door that has a carving, that comes out for about 20 cm, does the door has to be completly that thickness or do i just attach a piece of wood and then start...

Your work is captivating & keenly expressive Haden. Keep hackin!

thanks raav, carving in "relief" is different from carving in the round. Determining the viewpoint, high-points and shadows is an important element within the design. This bas-relief isn't that...

you're going to be fun to have on this forum. that'sa nice piece!

I like what you've created RV. The shape of the whale especially!

raav, robson, underfoot,

I appreciate everyone's comments. Undie, while I was designing the wings and templates for the stylized swans I never noticed the 'art deco' quality. I certainly see it...

Whittling, you are right on with your observation. The doors were a project I did before I bought my first digital camera. So no, unfortunately I don't have a record of the process, though I have...

Sebastiaan, I never weighed the doors, but a guess would be 180 lbs each. Spring loaded hinges were required to hang the doors by the craftsmen who where constructing the home.

The swans and...

that is a beautiful piece of work. Really nice!

This pair of oversized custom carved doors was created for a lakeside home in the state of Washington. The emphasis of this work is the overall design layout.

I made a full size mockup for the...

I agree with Robson, create, make the effort to find or interpret your own vision. It may lead to other interpretations and stir the artist within.

all of your work is so fastidiously executed! I especially like the shoes & box. Nice to make some $$ too!

What was the inspiration for the "eye" relief?

My experience with creating “holds” or mechanisms to free your hands for carving are as varied as the shape and object to be carved. But not as ingenious as Underfoot's massive "balljaws".

For odd...

Christos, This is the only large restoration project I have done. Robson Valley, As-far-as the wood species, I think your thoughts are correct, Cottonwood or Poplar, an abundant and easily...

very nice, he should be quite pleased to receive this piece.

Thanks for posting. Amazing and different

Mark Sheehan, (who did the steel work) and I delivered the “Indian” to a holding facility on a large farm. The project was finished and I was pleased with the outcome. I do not know where it is...

Whittling, yes there is more to come to complete the story.

I used a carving knife to score the "cracks" and a small # 3 gouge to remove material in addition I used a rough riffler to score the...

These images show the carving of the arms and hands, applying bleach to the relieved area to oxidize the surface and the initial stages of incising faux checking patterns to match the existing...

This grouping of photos shows the backside of the figures’ head. Solar and water damage is prevalent. I removed the “filler” from previous attempts to fill “in” the crevices. The images record the...

Checking was extensive on both the front and rear of the figure. I wire brushed the surface removing loose material, found more areas that were filled with caulk and paint. I cleaned the crevices...

These images reveal the procedure I used to create the buildup of blocks I would need to re-carve. Setting each block into its relieved pocket area was rather slow and tedious. But eventually all the...

The photos document a time-consuming process. I carved away damaged wood as needed creating flat surfaces with edge planes at various angles slightly undercut the surface. I cut out many cardboard...

I too am aware of the both the cultural and collectible taboos. In this case, there isn't the cultural aspect affiliated with First Nations beliefs and customs. As this piece, as far as I am aware,...

As is evident, portions of the arms and hands are missing. The base, into which the legs once inserted is missing. On the back side are some very large checks where I have removed caulking, paint...

Several years ago I was approached by someone who wanted to know if I would be interested in repairing a large carved collectible. I asked the caller to describe what it looked like and to give me...

Sumptuous work...having this piece will give someone great joy. Beautiful

Nicely done work, strong clean shapes.

That is ingenious. Where did you come up with the concept?

Yes, I should explain the design development since I did not record the process. It was before I had a digital camera.

African inspired design might be more appropriate. Central African bronze...

beautiful piece of work

Some years back, I received a call from an architect who asked if I would consider working on a design for a pair of custom carved doors for a house he was nearly finished designing. I was gratified...

This piece originated from a back-country ski trip in the Sawtooth Mts of Idaho, USA. While skiing a ridge line we dropped into a “drainage” with large trees, in our descent we skied over what...

I agree with the others, very nice!

wun4us,
I see your point, hadn't noticed that. I went and took a look at it again, seeing it in person it doesn't quite have the same appearance but in the photo the head is a little...

Robson Valley
Thank you for your posts. I appreciate your understanding of the totem as a narrative of life and spirit to native peoples. The “process of creation” is the art of living.

True, I did not apply any sealers, oils or conditioners to the totem pole. The checking (cracks) was expected as this area is extremely dry especially in the winter with sub zero temps. Relative...

Many months later, the totem was finished. The anchor for the totem pole is concrete poured into a form with steel reinforcement, set below the "frost line" and rising above the normal snow...