A reflection on my 10 year carving anniversary.      How do we become who we are meant to be?  In my case I did not decide to become a woodcarver. My first few woodcarvings just happened.  In fact at the time, I didn't know that traditional woodcarvers existed anymore. On an annual June family […]

Finally got this one finished...it sat on the work bench for a few years gathering dust

Strop often, sharpen less A good tool becomes an extension of your arm.   Keep your tools well and they will keep you well Find cheap tools at estate sales Attend a carving show.  You will be inspired Always bring wood into your shop at least two weeks before you plan to use it.  It needs […]

Art and Artist are part of a trine with the third point being the viewer. None can exist without the other two and all form a never ending symbiotic evolutionary relationship. Art is created by an artist and is absorbed by and reflected off the viewer. an artist must create art to be an artist […]

     To achieve an Apprentice 1 level they began with a simple project that they choose. They learn safety precautions. They must be able to take a knife and gouge and V-tool from a wide blunt edge and get them razor sharp. All have certified through the sharpening. They are all working on carving moldings.Each […]

Carving The Human Head First, lets talk about carving the human head. The following information came from the archive files of the Knotholes List. Robert Mace, the moderator of the List, re-published this information for a second time. The original author of the email was Mr. Gene Graham. Mr. Graham has additional information about carving […]

Notes on Human Proportions Head: shape is oval from three views:the front, side and top.Upper portion wider than lowerThe distance from the chin to the top of head is the same as from the back of the head to the front. The mid-point of the face, when measured from chin to top of head, is at […]

wood chips, wood chips everywherewhatever should I dosweep them all up into a pileand grab a bottle of glue.To the carving that they came fromI try to paste them onlittle piece here, little slice thereuntil the pile is gonenow I'm right back where I startedwith a modest block of woodCan no longer see my carvingIt […]

It was just a few short years agowhen i picked up my first knifeJust a magic moment in a daythat  forever changed my life.that day a woodcarver I becameand I wore my chips with prideand I learned everything I couldleft no technique untried.I called myself a custom carverand built my own web sitespent the next […]

Rising from the forest floorHow proudly they have stoodI look upon majestic treesAnd all I see is wood.Going to the lumberyardTo buy a few board feetI choose a wonderful mahoganyStraight-grained and oh, so sweet.I sit a piece on my workbenchTurn it over in my handsThink how many years its’ livedBring some justice with my plansI […]