"Dashing through the Snow"

I carved quite a bit in my hotel room while I was in Dallas this month for training. I've been trying to finish up all the carvings that I started and had waiting for paint.

I have a friend who collects snowmen and she persuaded me to carve one last year, which my daughter confiscated. So I carved a different one for my friend. This is my first one this year and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can at least post some pictures before they start grabbing at it! They are kinda fun to carve, but not as easy as I thought they would be. http://picasaweb.google.com/mpounders1/DashingThroughTheSnow#

I had the idea of a snowman flying down a hill on a sled, with his cap and coat flapping in the breeze. I wanted to try and give a sense of movement and motion with position of the body, the coat and the cap. I got to try a few new techniques (new to me) and also my first attempt at snow (on the base). I like the way it turned out. Still learning as I go.

I am also posting some Santa ornaments that I have been stocking up on. I have created a new "For Sale" gallery in my photo gallery that I hope will make it easier for people to see what I have available and how much I think you should pay me! We'll see if it works a little better. I am still waiting to hear on the contests I entered, but I suspect the only prize I may get is more experience! We'll see!
 As always, thanks for looking!

http://picasaweb.google.com/mpounders1/CarvingsForSale#

Snake on a stick!

I know it sounds like the latest deep-fried delicacy from the state fair, but maybe I'll come up with a better name. I just completed this staff/walking stick. It is about 60" tall from some twisted wood I got last Thanksgiving in Alabama. I think it really wanted to be a snake and I was inspired by the works of David Stehly in Pennsylvania to finally attempt one. I am pleased with how it turned out, although my wife and daughter can bearly stand to look at it! I plan to enter it in a couple of contests, maybe I'll get lucky. I should have some more pictures posted in my vimeo gallery later today, but here's some for now. Thanks mucho for looking! Here is the link to all the photos http://picasaweb.google.com/mpounders1/FluidByNature#

"Walking in Memphis"

"....walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale" is how the song goes. I finished this carving a few days ago. It is inspired by the song and a small photo of a guitar player in a magazine ad. I've studied and tried to figure out how to capture the energy and passion you see in some musicians for about 6 months. I really struggled with the positioning and tried clay models and other things before finally just starting and working it out as I went along! I carved different areas out of separate pieces of wood for strength and to allow me to accurately position things exactly as I wanted it to look. The guitar has over 40 separate pieces. Thanks for looking! Click on the pictures at the side and zoom in to get a close look at the details!!!!
(More pictures here too http://picasaweb.google.com/mpounders1/WalkingInMemphis# )

Finishing up a carving

I've been working to complete a carving to enter in a contest and just finished it the past weekend. I may not post any pictures of it until after the 30th, but here is a "preview" to keep you interested! I have started a snake cane, in the David Stehly style (http://www.artsticks.com/ ), and I am continuing to work on ornaments and holiday stuff in between projects. I have registered for a week-long carving seminar in northwest Arkansas in Spetember, and will be taking a class from the renowned carver Adina Denton Huckins! I am really looking forward to this and hope to take my carvings to a higher level! I am also trying to practice for some other contests, but will be posting pictures of completed work within the next week of those things. Thanks for looking!

Bark tree spirit and pumpkin ash cane

Here are a couple of carvings I finished this week. I also completed a shaft for a sword cane handle (for my neighbor).  I have been wanting to carve bark for a while but never got around to purchasing any. I found this cottonwood bark in downtown North Little Rock and got a few pieces to try. It is not as large or as thick as the cottonwood bark that you can get from other parts of the US. This is from the smallest piece, somewhat as an experiment, to see how it carved. I washed and wire-brushed the bark, and then cut off an area to reveal the inner reddish color. This stuff cuts very easily, but a sharp knife and care is needed to keep it from crumbling or flaking. Very fragile to carve, and difficult for me to detail, but it is so quick to carve! This is a tree spirit that took maybe 4 hours?

The handle on this cane is based on a tracing from the sword cane I repaired. It has a nice comfortable feel and I added a wood-burned Celtic knot. The wood is ash and the guy that gave it to me said it was "pumpkin" ash. He said it was used a lot in making guitars. I like the natural color and graining of it. The shaft is a skinny piec of Crape Myrtle. I have been making some slightly taller, skinnier canes. They are very light to carry.

Thanks for looking! (more pictures in link to my gallery at the left)