"A Snowman's Best Friend"

Merry Christmas to all! Here is another little snowman carving I finally finished. I had the idea to do one with a "snow-dog" but never found time to complete it. These little guys are pretty popular with customers .....and daughters! This one was claimed before the glue dried.

"Marine Cane"

This was a last minute order for a Christmas present that I finally completed after the third attempt. I need to try and remember that I don't have a lot of success carving detailed work into end grain! The carving looked great until I applied a finish and then it looked awful. I tried some things to fix it and again it looked great until I applied a finish. It was just too dark. So I decided to do a little scrimshaw work on some palm ivory (tagua nut), which seemed appropriate for a Marine. I've had several people suggest that I try adding contrasting spacers to my canes, so this is somewhat of an attempt to try that! I like the way it turned out, finally! The handle is walnut and the shaft is Bradford pear with the bark on. Thanks for looking and comments and advice or critiques are always appreciated!

 

"Old and Improved!"

 I like to revisit "old" carvings that I have previously finished or ideas that I have did before and see if I have improved. Sometimes I will even recarve portions of work that I never really completed. I often wonder if I subconciously don't finish some things because I am not happy with a certain area and it will just have to wait until I can be happy with it? I enjoy the process of carving, of creating, of making something out of nothing, out of such simple materials. And I enjoy being able to improve my work, in training my hands to create what my mind imagines. And in training my mind to imagine, to challenge my skills, to go in directions that are new for me. This month will end the second year that I have been carving and I like to compare what I can do now to what I did when I started. My first carving was a wood spirit from a piece of white oak out of my stack of firewood ....if nothing else, I have learned to choose easier wood to carve by hand! This is is a similar piece out of cottonwood bark. I think this one has more of a realistic look, not so sad or stern

, more of a Santa than a wood spirit.

 

I am finishing a cane for a retired marine and then I plan to revisit one of my "twisted" Santa ornaments as a Christmas gift for someone special. This is a busy time of year for Santa carvers! Thanks for looking.