223. Practice what you preach. Questions not to ask, and other things not to say to crafters.
Have you heard that before? I have. And I have said it to many of my students and friends. That makes it all the harder to visit craftsmen and crafts women and not do the same silly or careless thing. Ask those questions all craftspeople always need to answer – what kind of wood (material) is that? Is that as easy to do as it looks? How long did that take. Is it your own idea or did you copy that? Below is another kind of list, things not to say.
But now comes the “judgment of charity.” I always need to remember the visitor is trying to reach out, trying to gain some kind of understanding or to initiate conversation in a world they don’t really understand. Be prepared for the silly(I can do that) to the mundane(What kind of…). Embrace the opening gambit. Play the “game” with joy and pleasure. Perhaps your kindness and acceptance will spark greater things.
Shalom.
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Prov 22:6
191 Note to visitors. Greetings
I have always been intrigued by the location of all you who visit this blog. It would be an added pleasure to chat with some of you. It is a wonder of our world that we have the privilege of sharing with each other even over such great distances.
I have many questions for you all. What draws you to this blog? Are you wood carvers? Do you have other creative hobbies? Were you looking for something in particular in this blog? What in these posts benefits you? What else would you like to see, read, know? What do you know that you could share with me? And many more such questions.
A special greeting to visitors from Hong Kong. Nice to have you on board.
Shalom.
“The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.” Prov 14:15
#63 Wood carving: Where to get ideas: Frogs and things
Tracing of a frog pot
Something a little different this time. Obviously the picture above is not a carving, it is a tracing of a ceramic dodad my sister owns. It is a cute little frog which sits under her bathroom vanity. It is the perfect place for such a neat little piece, given the four children – two boys and all the water that gets splashed around.
Front view of frog
This entry, however, is not about frogs and places they hide. It is about where we find ideas for carving. I am always looking for the next good idea, an artistic something which sparks an idea, or a part of life which energizes me to carve the next best piece.
Side view
Creation, the beauty of the world as God made it, is a great place to look for ideas. I have files, paper files and on the computer, filled with pictures of things which have captured my attention, peaked my interest, or drawn a second look. I keep those files around, looking through them periodically, for inspiration or a fresh start.
Close up
These pictures may well become another carving. I will keep the outline tacked to my work bench for a time. [If I lose it I now have an electronic file of it here :)] One thought I have had is to “blow up” the carving which is here done in ceramic.
The figurine provides us with some of those critical pieces of information we need in carving. It gives all the parts of the frog in relationship to each other and does so in an interesting and “froggy” kind of way. I see the frogs of my youth out on the lily pads ready to jump should our boat or hands get too close. Another benefit of observing this figurine for carving is the process of simplification the potter went through to get the “frog” feel here. We know it is not a frog, and we know we will not be creating a frog, but the artist simplifies the carving while still keeping the frog feel.
Now, the trick is to find the right piece of wood, get the blank cut out, creating a “froggy” carving, paint, seal, and sign. Simple. Well, almost. Let me know if you try this. I would like to see your version.
“And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.” Gen 1: 24,25
#44 (#42b) Please go back and see….#42 Wood carving: wood, acoustical guitars – mahogany, spruce, sapele, maple, cocobolo
It worked!! The blog is back on Facebook. Now I have to figure out how to get post #42 on FB. Until that happens,I will cross reference here.
Dick, this is for you. Thanks for all the cool guitar pics. Love your sound, you make the “tonewood” sing.
Big Leaf Maple - Cocobolo mini-wedge, Expression pickup, gold Taylor tuners
“I will sing a new song to you, my God;
on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you…” Psalm 144:9
#43 Wood Carving: This is a test
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL. AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Technical difficulties yesterday. Suddenly my posts stopped showing up on Facebook. I am trying to figure out why this is so. While I am trying to figure that out – this post is really a test to see if I have marked the correct app in FB – enjoy a few more carving pictures.
Fahter Christmas
Father Chrsitmas, side view
Father Christmas, close up
“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.'” Luke 2:13-15
Sea Captain facing the storm. 8x4x2 Hand carved and painted. Wall hanging or stand alone.
#10 Want to know more about wood carving?
Does wood carving interest you? Are you fascinated by carve objects in the store or at the museum? Do you like wood, the feel, smell, look of good wood? Then you might want to check out the web site of Wood Carving Illustrated. It is one of the great resources available to the world’s wood carvers. I have placed the URL below.
This site has something for everyone. The galleries are filled with wonderful carvings by artists from around the world. Visitors can view the carvings, comment on them and even contact the artist via the site.
The chat threads provide all sorts of interesting and useful information. Beginners (newbies) can “listen in” on old hands discussing techniques and treatments. Long time carvers can share ideas and asked more detailed questions about the craft of carving.
One neat feature provided is the ability for carvers to take pictures of their work and to down load them on to the site for all to see. Artists can store albums of pictures which can be searched by all who visit the site.
One other feature anyone interested in carving might enjoy is are the teaching/training videos. These are great resources for the endless questions new and old carvers alike always have.
The Wood Carvers Illustrated web site is a social club on line. Many of the regulars have been chatting with each other for years. They meet each other on line and at shows around the country and the world. This site displays some of what makes the hobby of wood carving one of the best in the world, good people, eager to help, willing to share, a craft, an art, anyone can enjoy. Hope you enjoy the site as much as we do. Shalom.
http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/
“A gentle answer turns away wrath.” Proverbs 15:1
#9 Old World Santas
Persistence pays off. Even got them into the Gift Shop.
#8 New things are always exciting
Another post? Two in one day? Well, you know how new things go. At first they are exciting and interesting. They capture your attention and energy. So I am going with the flow. And making a commitment to keeping it up. There will not be two posts every day. My goal will be one new post a week. 
I had hoped to have some pictures to put right here. So far I have only gotten the link to an album. If I get things figured out before I send this post there may be a picture included. http://picasaweb.google.com/klompmakerpics/FatherChristmas?authkey=Gv1sRgCNqh4uyToa2VvQE#5332056132234861826
New ventures carry the risk of failure. In wood carving, too. At first you are not sure you want to try. The failure factor looms large. Then you take the plunge and the adrenaline flows. You try a little and find it pleasant. The project takes on a life of its own. Have you tried wood carving? There are many qualities to it as a hobby which causes me to recommend it to you. In future blogs I will try to clarify what I mean. For now, suffice it to say, if you haven’t every considered wood carving as a hobby you might want to.
So, I have been trying for the past hour to get an image on this blog. Obviously it is not here. New ventures carry risk of failure. I have failed to share a carving image with you – unless you use the URL provided above. Perhaps next time I will have learned to post a picture, painlessly. Still excited about the blog and the carving. Shalom.
PS. Checked out the post. Not sure why there is a big space in there. More to learn. jk
Psalm 23
#7 “A New Piece of Wood”
Beginning this blog is like beginning a new carving. One finds a piece of wood and wonders, what next. This blog is in place. The system works. A new screen pops up and…… All the excitement is there. All the interest in making something new happen. But in the back of your mind you have loads of questions. Beginner questions. What am I doing this for? How did I get this far? Now what? Will anything come of this? Is this another one of those hobbies that I have begun and will soon die? What if I cut myself? Will I be any good at this? I really don’t want anyone to see my work – I’ll never be as good as “Mel” or “Joe.” How do I know I have a good piece of wood? Do I have the right tool? “Mel” made it look so easy, will I get the hang of it? Where do I begin? What if I get stuck? What if I make a mistake?
The answer to many of those questions will only come through time and effort. My first blog answer is right here. I have no idea how to manage a blog. So, here is a first attempt. Is it right? Who is to say that my blog isn’t right? Could it be better? Yes, of course. No one has read it yet. It is just a new beginning. Rookies always make mistakes. But the rookies that remain rookies are the ones that never try, never pick up an new piece of wood or start a new blog entry. In blogging or wood carving “newbies” (the wood carving term for a rookie) too often fail to achieve success because they are unwilling to make mistakes from which they can learn.
This first blog entry, for example, may be a great mistake. I don’t even know if this is the right spot to enter blogs. I don’t know if it will enter. Will I have any good tags anyone will want to connect to? Can I “repair” or change what I send.
So here’s my first “cuts” in the world of blogging. And you, when will you pick up your first piece of wood and make your first cuts. Overcome the fears. Set aside the stifling questions. Find a knife, a book, a friend to encourage you, a quiet place to sit, and a comfortable spot where you can make a mess. Enjoy your beginnings in carving. My first blog, may it not be the last, has been interesting and exciting. Shalom.
John Klompmaker Carving 