Thread: Red Gum Ideas

With those ideas in mind, I would spend a long time studying the wood.
Trying to "see" where the result would fit best.
Approx how big is that piece?

The piece is about 50cm long, 20 wide and 25 thick at the thickest part. I have been studying the wood for 18 months, and not getting much closer to an answer.

You already have a couple of "flat" planes. Maybe one place to start is to rest it on these planes, find the balance point and then do the examination. I would see if there are particular areas of grain worth emphasizing as well.

Looks like fun!

Occasionally I find a piece of wood that I have no plans for but I just 'know' that it has something special inside it. I tried to rush one of these in the past and made a complete botch of it. I learned from that. Now they sit in a corner where I can see them often while I'm working on other stuff, and I wait until the epiphany comes. It always does but it can sometimes take quite a while. If your friend is not in a hurry, just relax and wait a bit. Put the wood in a place that you'll see it often so it reminds you to think about it and give your subconscious time to work out a plan. At least in my experience, if you rush it you won't end up with your best possible result.

That's OK. Look at it from time to time.
Your head and the wood will get together some day.
I know this = may take years.
Don't let anyone try to pressure you into punching
some design into the piece.
For me, it just doesn't work that way.

Some bits of wood - like that one - have very limited possibilities despite being interesting. Best way to go is to emphasise and accentuate the interesting things already happening in it, otherwise you are going to lose too much wood. I mean, the first thing i saw was a boat or canoe but there is no way you could make it seaworthy. Main thing is to have fun and break all the rules with that bit of wood.

What about this?

1. Arc_med.jpg

Norm Sartorius - Arc

I find if I have stalled on a project, have a good hard look at it, then sketch it from a few different perspectives. Leave it for a few days as the guys above said, within view, and let your sub conscious do the work. If you can even get a vague hint then I often start and once you get going the wood will offer something up and then you can get your teeth into it. Or just have a beer and contemplate life while looking at the piece of wood. If anyone says anything, it's all about the design, you are hard at work.

Bookends?

Claw Hama, I think you're on to something with the beer!

Originally Posted by Claw Hama

....... Or just have a beer and contemplate life while looking at the piece of wood. If anyone says anything, it's all about the design, you are hard at work.

Then I am always hard at work, just not with the beer in hand.

The beer is always good . Its the sketching that does the trick really, even if you can't draw. As your eye tries to catch all the detail it's amazing how much more you see in it than if you just look at it. Bumps, feature and grain become more apparent as you try to get it down on paper. Once you sketch it from one angle, roll it around and do it again. You will find something hiding in there. (after one more beer maybe)

"Looking" at a a piece of wood is a left-brain/analytical thing with little future.
"Seeing" a piece of wood is a right-brain/conceptual thing with inspirations.

If you can't turn on the right-brain thing at will, just wait. Be patient.
It comes with a POP! and you see it.

For carving, I don't will the right side to see it.
I just wait for the minutes days or weeks to pass. . . and it happens.

When I painted 7 days a week, it came without asking. Now, the gears are a bit rusty.
I do not know what I will carve next. The wood does that.