Carving with Dave Stetson

The Central Arkansas Woodcarvers had a two day class with Dave Stetson this past weekend. Dave is a founding member of the Caricature Carvers of America and has has been carving and teaching for over 30 years. He focused on carving from a blank, using symetry and adding motion to a carving. It was a lot of fun, and I must have learned something. These carvings look different from most of my carvings! I like how they turned out and have a lots of ideas. Dave was a great instructor!

Delmar the Hillbilly

One of these days I'll get around to carving a design of my own, but this Mike Shipley design was a a Christmas present! Mine isn't exactly his flat-plane style, but I like the subject and I like his style. This was a lot of fun to carve and I have him sitting next to my Harold Enlow hillbilly. Thanks for looking.

a staff for Santa

A guy in Ohio who plays Santa contacted me about making him a staff similar to one I did a few years back. This one is taller and I added the teddy bear. And I think the elf is cuter than the last one! The carved portion is 22" and the shaft portion is 48" making it 5' 10" tall. The Santa and packages and stuff are all stacked on a metal rod that is attached to the shaft. I used a threaded insert on the shaft and then ran a metal pin thru it and the wood. I expoxied that end. Then I used wood glue between the other pieces and tightened it all up with a nut on top of the top package, which made it very sturdy, despite the length of the rod. The Santa was then glued on top with epoxy. Here's a few pictures; thanks for looking!

Some Christmas Bling

Here is a necklace I just finished. I had the idea a year ago to add some festive cord and bells to some of the Santa ornaments I carve, to make necklaces and sell quite a few. But I decided to make one that was a little more elaborate with the carved elves, and presents and such. This just doesn't catch your eye, it kind reaches out and grabs you! The beads are handcarved and handpainted from basswood. Thanks for looking!

More Santas

Lots of carving and painting this time of year! I've given away and sold most of my things, so I've had to try and restock a bit. These three are already gone, but I've got a batch that I hope to finish painting tonight. I've got to admit that I've did a few fun carvings for my self, like the Moravian stars from the latest WCI, and a little ball in a cage, along with all the other holiday stuff. Tis the season! Thank's for looking and hope Santa brings you all joy and happiness! Merry Christmas!