Authentic Nautical Accessories, and Custom Furnishings
I don't get it. The photos of people's studios are so neat and clean. Do people work at art and craft there? Sure, I clean up (eventually), but making something out of wood requires removing shavings, chips, and dust. The essence is removal; all that removal has to go somewhere - the bench and the …
This little folk art-style angel is a sort of Christmas-time dreamcatcher. It swings above our Christmas tree every year. I carved it one winter years ago when the kids were still little.
The little eagle's head has been carved separate from the body. Why? Tradition is one reason; I learned from others to carve the head and eye first so "The birdie can watch what you are doing." But the primary reason is that it's easier to complete the shape and back of the head when it's …
Years ago, I had a weird dream. Two of my favorite artists, John Haley Bellamy and Salvador Dali, were sitting with me in a coffeehouse discussing art. I merely sat by and listened while the two masters talked. They were deeply involved in a discussion of exaggeration and distortion in art. At one point, they …
This small set of "vintage carving tools" has a history. I owned a set of identical tools at the beginning of my days carving. They were purchased at an art store in Baltimore in the spring of 1969. I learned the basics of carving with them, and carved my first eagles with them. They continued …
There are two terrible maxims about carving that haunt the trade. The first is that the "truth" is in the wood -all you have to do is study the wood for guidance. Now, remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is not true. The second one is closely related. It …
Early on in my career as a marine carver, I learned a vital lesson about free work. I was eager to get work and had taken on a client from whom I should have run screaming rather than accept his job. Every day, it seemed there was something he wanted to change. Because I had …
I carved professionally from 1969 to 1975, stopped for grad school and a career in anthropology, and resumed my craft as a carver in 1992. It's a long time to remember every little detail of how you carved a particular style of clamshell end on a quarterboard. But there is an answer for that failure …
My pumice arrived the other day. Not the light, float-in-the-water hunk that you might use to remove calluses from the bottom of your feet.This was a jar of finely graded powdered volcanic glass for creating a final polish on varnish. Correctly applied, it smooths away swirls, brush marks, and imperfections in a varnish finish. It …
Bloganuary writing promptWhere can you reduce clutter in your life?View all responses I am among those who believe that there is a circle in hell for neat freaks. It's true. Some people enter my carving shop and envy the variety of carving tools racked before them. But It would be the height of mendacity to …
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