93 Other carving: Chainsaw work of Randall Boni

In the last post I showed you carving I might even try, in fact, I have done pencils, but never pencil lead.  Remember, summer has to get here for me to try the lead.  Have you done any lead carving since the last post?

In this post there is work that I am pretty sure I will never do.  Randall Boni does a masterful job with a chainsaw.  Some carvers like their tools big, loud, and powerful.  They are in to removing lots of wood fast.  I like the smell of pine dust.  But I do not like the smell of engine exhaust so much.  I also like having ten fingers on my two hands.  I do enough damage to them with knives, gouges, and sandpaper.  Can you imagine what would happen with some bigger?

Chainsaw artist, Randall Boni

All with a chain saw and some paint. Randall Boni

The best measure of a spiritual life is not its ecstasies but its obedience. —Oswald Chambers

92 Other carving: Dalton Ghetti on pencils

What can you do with pencils? Lots.  My students write with them, use them as hair pieces, make “fangs” out of them.  At other times they leave them like Hansel and Gretal-like trails out my classroom door and down the halls of the school.  I like to think they leave such a pencil trail so they can make their way back to my classes.  Then again, I find all the broken bits of pencil in odd places, places which make me suspect that the pencils are being processed into miniature missiles, easy to hide, quick ammo for Jr High wars.

As you already know, I like wood carving.  As you also also already know, I really like all kinds of good carving.   So now we stick pencils and carving together.  Remember the  alphabet on a pencil stub.  That was the work of Dalton Ghetti.  I like his work.  Enough to find a few more pictures of it.

The mailbox above boggles my mind.  As a wearer of glasses, my eyes smart just thinking about how Dalton does his work.  The detail in the mailbox is eye-catching.  I am not sure if the hinge on the box really works.  That would be too much.  If you know, please do contact me.

One of my problems is that every neat carving I see I want to carve it myself.  Now, I am not of the caliber of a Fred Cogelow or a Phil Bishop, but pencils and pencil stubs, enough of those I got.  Maybe.  Summer vacation is only weeks away.

Dalton Ghetti/ at work

Part of the process.

How long would all these take you?

Notice the lead showing through the handle as fasteners

The thread is amazing

I got a hammer, hammer out a warning

A key to it all

Notice the inscription on the button edge

Wonder how many were cracked before all the legs and spokes made it?

Blue swede shoes anyone?

You got mail.

Chain links are hard enough in wood.

More links.

A little wine anyone.

Dalton Ghetti creation. I think he is open on Saturday.

If the Holy Spirit guides us at all, he will do it according to the Scriptures, and never contrary to them. —George Muller

91 Other wood carving: Free Carving Patterns from Little Shavers

Thanks to Rick and Theresa of Little Shavers for the great carving lesson.  I like Rick’s idea of do two at once so that you can have something to hold on to.  Another good idea in the lesson is using a felt tip marker to go over the pencil lines to keep your pattern while you work.

Pine cone 1 completed ornament

Pine cone 2 Stem for two

Pine cone 3 Creating the egg shape

Pine cone 4 spiral pattern

Pine cone 5 First chip

Pine cone 6 Layout of end

I have not used the Course Pumice Gel by Golden Paints tm Rick talks about.  Will have to investigate.  Let me know if you have tried it, how it works, what tricks you have learned as you use it.

I hope you enjoy the lesson.  I am going give it a try.

http://www.littleshavers.com/PineCone.html

“A ruler who oppresses the poor
is like a driving rain that leaves no crops”  Proverbs 28: 3

90 Wood carving: Duneland Wood Carving Show.

36th ANNUAL

DUNELAND WOODCARVERS SHOW 2012

I know that many of you who check out this blog will not be able to attend this particular wood carving show, however, I do log the show information for those who might be able to.  The rest of you are hereby reminded to check out carvings shows in your area.  Plymouth, IN recently had a show.  Many more are scheduled over the coming months. Find one in your area to enjoy.

If you do attend one, I would really appreciate seeing some pictures of the work being displayed.  Send them via this blog and I will work to include them in a future post.

For all who can attend the show, stop by and say hello.  I will look for you there.  Shalom.

The show will be held at Woodland Park, in the

Oakwood Grand Hall,  2100 Willowcreek Road,

Portage, Indiana, 46368.

The show is open to the public:     Admission is $4.00. Children under 12 are free.

SATURDAY, April 14, 2012 – 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

SUNDAY, April 15, 2012 – 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The show is produced in cooperation with and receives financial support from the Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission.

Woodland Park
2100 Willowcreek Road
Portage, IN 46368

Visitors and wood carvers can also go to the following web sites for additional accommodations and restaurants in the area:     http://www.indianadunes.com;   http://www.ci.portage.in.us

“By justice a king gives a country stability,
but those who are greedy forbribes tear it down.”  Proverbs 29: 4

89 Carving ideas: Philippe Faraut, Portrait Sculptor

Every wood carver learns from all other wood carvers.  Any debate on this?  One might say that a Phil Bishop or a Lynn Doughty could  not learn from a raw novice, but even they would admit to learning something along the way from “newbies.”  Perhaps they would not learn a new technique or great improvement of style, but newbies ask questions that are “outside the box.”  Those questions make the expert carver think differently about their own work.

Having argued that we all learn from each other, it should also be no matter of debate that we learn more from an “expert” in a field than from a novice or newbie.  Experts have meditated, applied, refined, and sweated over the details.  Someone like Fred Cogelow has poured thousands of hours into the art of wood carving.  Experts teach us more quickly because they have often walked the road we are on, they have experienced what we are struggling with.  So, look for experts.  Here is a clip from a sculptor I enjoy, Philippe Faraut.

Sculpting Demonstration Video Clips by Philippe Faraut, Portrait Sculptor – StumbleUpon.

I would encourage you also to look for his book    “Book 1: Portrait Sculpting:  Anatomy & Expressions in Clay  by Philippe & Charisse Faraut.”  The pictures here come from his book.  There are many more.

Philippe Faraut “The Art Critic”

http://philippefaraut.com/books.html

If God be God, then no insoluble problem exists. And if God be my God, then no problem of mine is without its appropriate solution. —Maurice Roberts

88 Other wood recycled: How to Hide Dead Trees

I really like the idea of recycling.  It just makes lots of sense.  That is one reason I enjoy carving old wood:  chair spindles, stair railings, barn boards, cut offs, thread spools.  And of course, that is also one reason I am attracted to the material below.

Here is a quote from a post sent to me.  The photos and the work are great.  “All the old cottonwood trees in the area of Craig, Colorado, had some disease and needed to be removed. So the city council approved a Chainsaw competition in the park and offered a prize. The attached pictures are a result of the competition in the park. Great artists! Great public service.”

Of course this is only the teaser picture.  The rest are in the gallery.  “Hats off” to Craig, Colorado for making such great use of lost trees.  And a double hats off carvers for their good work.  My favorites are the Trolls, the Kids, and the Giraffes.  Which ones do you like?

Bears at play

A “Da Vinci” in the making

Did someone say salmon?

Thank you! 9/11

Aw mom, can I go and play with the kids, please!

The hand of God, the cradle of life

Warrior

Careful! Kids at play

Catamount, cougar, puma, lynx?

The hills are alive with…..

Young men stumble and fall, youths grow weary

Mount on eagles wings

Back seat rider

Tolkien anyone? The sunlight take you.

Whooooooo, gotta be Poooooooh

Eagles, buffalo, and bears, oh my

See ‘em coming

Wolves on the loose

While I do not care for chains saws myself, I am always impressed with the skill others have developed using them.  Again, more food for thought when it comes to my own wood carving.  I have my eye on the giraffe piece.  That might look great in a piece of bass or even a chunk of cotton wood bark.  I would add some paint to them to catch the distinctive giraffe markings and give another layer of variety to a carving.

Three more things to share here.  1. I would love to hear from those of you who check out these posts.  Got any questions or anything to share about wood carving?  2.  I also ask you to consider subscribing if you have not already done so.  I am not only interested in wood carving but also in those who track carving and its ideas.  3.  And finally, do any of you have carving ideas to share?

Shalom.

God dwells in eternity but time dwells in God. He has already lived all our tomorrows as He has lived all our yesterdays. —A.W. Tozer

87 Carving ideas: Awesome Watermelon Carvings

What is an adjective?  A word which…..  Stunning, delightful, breath-taking, delicious, how do these all fit into one story?  And carving no less.  As you have already seen, the watermelon carvings below are gorgeous.  Skill, experience, and artistic ability all contribute to wonderful carvings.  See the link for all 75 carvings below.

The birds below are my wife’s favorites.  She has a substantial collection of them in wood, glass, metal, fabric, porcelain, and even a gourd.  But this one she won’t keep, other than as a photo.

Now how do they do that?  I know that in wood carving, if you break a piece off you still have a chance to glue it back on.  What do you use when a piece of watermelon breaks off?  Ice?  Hmmmm.  Adds to the difficulty if you ask me.

75 Awesome Watermelon Carvings.

A God who could pardon without justice might one of these days condemn without reason. —C.H. Spurgeon

86 Other carving: Book carving GUY LARAMEE

It is wood.  Well, at least it began as wood.  I know, it isn’t in the traditional form, but wonderfully carved none the less.  I have shown other book carvers, but these are really fun.  Have you seen Petras?  Guy has done a masterful job of giving us the feeling of the place.

Guy Laramee’s Petras

The rest of these book carvings are also eye appealing.  One reminds me of a Pueblo of Southwestern USA.  Another has to be named Pagoda.  Not sure if I see it correctly, but one looks like it has a grave at the top – are those flowers?  What do you think?  Another I call “Oriental Mountain.”  It reminds me of scenes from China.  The final one, which also looks oriental, I have named “Overunder.”  It has a great feel to it.

CARVING TIP:  You will notice the good lighting that the photographer used when taking these pictures. A good tip for wood carvers.  I am trying to learn the ropes of lighting.  One site I read mentioned setting up a photo area.  Have the camera, lights, materials and any thing else needed for photographing ready in one place.  Then, when you have a carving ready, it is but a moment to take a few shots and you have something to post.

intro page : GUY LARAMEE.

I consider looseness with words no less of a defect than looseness of the bowels. —John Calvin

85 Other ideas: Finding inspiration in the art work of others

Finding inspiration in all kinds of places takes work and a willingness to see, for a moment, the world as others see it. Artists catch a glimpse of the world’s beauty, translate it, record it, comment on it in a variety of mediums, display it in many creative ways.  One of the things I like to do is browse the art work of others.  Their pieces inspire me.  I ask, “How could I do that in wood?”

So, here are three stain glass pieces by my friends, Mel and Joy VanEssendelft.  Sorry, these three were auctioned of recently, so if you like one like them you would have to contact me or track them down.

How might you use their ideas for a piece of your own?

This could be a pierced relief to let the sunshine through when it is completed.

I believe that this piece done in wood has to have a textured back ground.  This would give the same feel as the clear diamond pieces of glass here.

The yellow “picture frame” around the daffodils would look good as a strong wood border around flowers set deeply into the wood.

No man ever fell into error through being too watchful. —C.H. Spurgeon

84 Wood carving: Table in Changsha, Hunan, China

I begin this post with an apology to my good friend Alan(wdm)  In a conversation with Alan this morning on QQ I invited him to look on the blog for a few pictures of a table in the Post Office of the school campus where we shared a few summers.  This afternoon I come to my Dashboard and, horror of horrors, I find that I have only begun to set up the next post, haven’t finished it, let alone posted it.

Alan, sorry, here is the table I mentioned.  Do you remember seeing it.  Alina is the young lady in one of the pictures.  Perhaps you saw her when we were walking through the classrooms.

There, enough.  Let’s move on.  Can’t you imagine having a formal dinner around such a wonderful piece?  Or even an informal gathering with the table filled with munchies and drinks.  But of course you will have to to Central South University of Forestry & Technology in order to enjoy it.

One of the great things about travel, for wood carvers, is the opportunity to see new wood carvings. One can only imagine the effort it took to trim and prepare this piece, to work it, and then to get it into place.  The pictures rarely do a piece justice, at least my pictures, but this was an enjoyable find.  Have you any interesting carving photos from any travels you have done?  Would love to see them.

A man may be theologically knowing and spiritually ignorant. —Stephen Charnock