Category: Carving

This carving is from the early 2000’s. Some found wood that was heavily cracked and split along the length. It is about 5ft. long. I epoxied the heavier breaks, then carved the exaggerated ‘flow’ of the grain.

The blue apatite stones were added this month. In the event of moving and children and activity, the stick was broken along some of the more delicate wave forms. I added the stones mostly to support some of the thinner ‘waves’. It will go back on the wall away from little hands for awhile [I hope]. As it turned out I think the stones help the feeling of movement in the lines of the waves and the colour brightens things up as well.

When I can create some new working space I may get back into more stick carving

This carving was done in and around 2004. The cane is cherry wood with gold-plating on an electrically grown nickel top crown. The ‘crown’ grew on a steel nut when the insulating cap fell off during an electrolytic reaction, so a massive crystal of solid nickel grew on the nut. A friend named Al, gave it to me in hopes I could do something with it.

The horse head is on one side and on the other is a dragon face with the flames coming from the dragon’s mouth that intertwine with the horse’s mane hair.

The cane just sits in a corner as the top is just too heavy (again, solid nickel) and is tiresome to walk with. One of my first attempts at carving so it turned out a little rougher than I hoped. Cherry wood has a lovely fine and even grain. I hope to have another try at it some day to do that, one of a kind metal-crystal crown, proper justice.

I picked away at these for many sessions over the years. Since I haven’t been very active for a while, thought I’d upload some old ‘improv’ carvings.
Still have to find some picture(s) of the water staff.

The Wind Staff is from a walnut branch from a family farm, long gone. It encompasses glass, copper and leather, with a marine varish.

The Earth Staff is from found material. Not sure of the material, but it sure was hard to whittle. Big cracks were filled with sawdust and glue, and sometimes wood putty. Also a marine varnish.