Authentic Nautical Accessories, and Custom Furnishings
Figureheads get lots of attention in maritime museum exhibits. There are even museum collections of figureheads lost at sea. Often, the names of the ships they graced are unknown. If we knew, we could reconstruct a travelogue of all the ports they'd seen. But many ships lacked figureheads. The old figure went overboard in a …
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, a Drummer was not just a percussionist. A drummer was a traveling salesman who'd make the rounds with tools, clothes, or anything else you might wish to purchase but could not easily find at the small retail establishments in your town. Think no internet, no Walmart, and few …
Yesterday, I spent a significant part of the day working on a carving of a large schooner. I based it on research I did for an earlier schooner built by the same yard around the same time in the late 19th century. I used skills acquired in the earlier carving to ease the work on …
Photographs help me remember steps and processes. Years ago, I used photography only to record the results. But pictures of the in-between stages were more than a bit helpful. One of the big reasons I say this is because there are some things that I only do rarely. Reminders are valuable.I need to be a …
If you studied economics, process engineering or are an enthusiast of popular psychology, you might have heard of the Sunk Cost Fallacy. It's alive and well in woodcarving too. Sunk costs are costs you have paid and can't get back. That's fine if everything works out. But if the project just hasn't been the success …
This is my second run at the Steam Yacht Zaida. I've used different techniques and am more satisfied with the outcome.
I found the wood sitting in the shorts at my favorite hardwood dealer. It was very dark, heavy, and dense. It was mahogany but so dark and heavy that I felt it was a wayward piece of Dominican, not Honduran. It was just what I wanted.
We all want to be instant experts. One of my sensei describes this in terms of the training montages that are standard fare in martial arts movies; the neophyte progresses from clumsy beginner to skilled pro in thirty seconds of cinematic snapshots.
I admit that the sort of non complex carving that happens when I carve a small bowl is pretty alluring. No antsy detail. No pattern that needs to be followed. Just follow the will of the wood.
We can easily get lost in the weeds talking about tradition in crafts.
This chest was not in stock long enough for me to do a proper set of photos. It sold at it's first appearance at the Maine Boatbuilder's Show to a pair of Boston Harbor pilots who were going to give it as a retirement gift to a colleague.
As consumers, there is much that you don't know about your favorite woods.
It sails on my wall with a cherry ocean and sky heading east from Japan or China towards Los Angelos. I think my father is pleased that his ship is restored to an essential place in our lives, through the unexpected kindness of a fellow seaman.
While teaching, I always like to decorate the workshop with carving examples for students to use as a reference. Week-long excursions to teach away from home mean emptying the house of many of my carvings. But samples in three dimensions often are better than pictures or demonstration, and the extra work was worth it.
The problem with imagination is that it's boundless. On the wall is a poster telling you that you can do it if you can imagine it. Don't take it too literally.
The new computer is arriving in about a week. Last night I finally hit the buy key and did it. Six years ago, when my "Trash Can" Mac died all of a sudden, I hurriedly bought the first thing I could get. I had deadlines to meet, and couldn't shop at leisure. There it sat, …
When you are self taught you can sometimes get to rather advanced stages, but miss something along the way. That's why I describe this little episode as a woodcarving oops. I was doing boat show, selling quarterboards and fancy doodads for boats that I was turning out in my shop, and generally thinking that I …
When we moved into our house, the first thing I dumped was the big bag of weed and feed. Generations may have occupied the house and ceaselessly been at war with the wooded bird sanctuary just past the old stone fence. No amount of weedkiller, fertilizer, or grass seed would create a thriving lawn there. …
Daily writing promptWhat place in the world do you never want to visit? Why?View all responses There is a bar in Lower Manhattan that I have vowed never to set foot in again. Besides being that I have "been banned forever," it might be healthier to stay clear. Yes, the events that led up to …
I leave the bedroom door open a crack at night. For the cats. I've learned that Marcus and Sabrina can combine their scratches on the door with soft meowings - let us out, or let us in. So it's easier to leave the door open, a crack to allow peaceful travel to and fro. Call …
"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self." - Ernest Hemingway
After the death of my road buddy Bill, I continued wandering alone. A fancy word for this is solivagent. Like Pius Itinerant, I like to toss these words around because they seem so much more cultured and eloquent than bum. But It's all the same thing. Now food, as in where to get a good …
and Judy's number today is: 242 This carving of a hand and upraised finger is not one of mine, but I greatly admire it. It is simple, well-designed, and very expressive. Fond on the street in Sherbourne Falls, Massachusetts. This evocative bird is on a shorefront walk along the Merrimack River in Newburyport, Massachusetts. I'm …
Big plans for that career? Get the degree, go for the Ph.D, professorship and, oh yes, the adoration of your students! Sounds familiar, a sort of long-range plan that maps out your future. But as my dad, Nicholas Carreras, always said, have a backup trade or career just in case. You can be tempted by …
Query most people who've led an "interesting" lifestyle, and they'll sigh and say they prefer their current lot of peacefulness. They've had it with lots of upsets, curious interruptions in the flow of normality, relocations, challenging romantic entanglements, and even some spots of violence or mental dislocation. I kid you not! No, I'd prefer to …
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