Thinking this morning about the differences between painters and sculptors; how “the world” supports painters with an infinite number of how-to books and magazines and galleries and this and that and other stuff, and how there are, give or take, five books about how to be a sculptor, all published by Dover and written before…
Category Archives: 730 Sculpture
Kekule’s Dream: The Carving
Long run. Sanford AutumnFest; sold the first frog and two flamingos. Carve more. Out-of-town funeral. Hurricane Isabel; no significant local damage = no free carving wood. Durham Centerfest, sold ButlerBear, a birdhouse, and Kekule’s Dream. Carve more ButlerBears. Durham was the first show where people got the joke in Kekule. Shouldn’t be surprised–the scientists from…
A visit from the zoning fairy
I’m going to consider this a warning shot. One of my neighbors complained that I was running a business in a residential zone. Well, I am, and that’s legal, as long as I’m not selling from my home, which I’m not. Unfortunately, that’s as much because I’m not selling much as because I don’t sell…
Spalting
Does exposure to air stop spalt? What about burning? I’m carving a polar bear for the zoo; plan to stain it with oil-based white stain. But the only piece of wood in the pile that’s big enough for what I had planned is pretty thoroughly spalted sycamore–cut 4 years ago, standing vertically since. Beautifully soft;…
In-process carving notes
July 7, 2003 Giraffes Help. I just carved another nice piece of kindling in the general shape of a giraffe and spent an hour on the effort. Realized it was hopeless not long into it but had an audience and didn’t want to bail in front of a crowd. Can’t get the head/body angle right–is…
Sawdust in my Boots
Randy and I were talking about this last night and I realized I am not alone. How do you keep sawdust out of your boots? a) I am already wearing the longest chaps Stihl makes and they don’t quite cover the tops of ankle-high boots. b) “Carve barefoot” is not a valid answer. thx…
Carving for a Show
Show week, and I’m relaxed enough to be writing for the website. Life is good. The book went to the printer on April 9 then it was tax time and since then, I’ve been carving just about every waking non-church moment, getting work ready for the Sanford Pottery Festival this weekend. I’ll be taking 15…
Jon Kuhn is not a Chainsaw Carver
Took a day off last Sunday to catch the Jon Kuhn exhibit at the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in Charlotte. I’d been wanting to go; other things got in the way. Still mad I missed the Linda MacNeil show and didn’t want a repeat of that. Made the last two hours of Kuhn–Charlotte’s…
Pre-Ridgway, Hairball, My Architect
Busy, very busy. Leave for Ridgway this coming Wednesday; running around making sure I have everything I need to travel. There’s a Lowe’s in the next town over and there will be a few saw vendors on the field but mostly, take it, borrow it, or do without. Randy is equipped–portable generator–so I’ll be able…
Knitting Goddess
What a month! Knitting like a demon, finding the Knitting Goddess and Handpaint Country encouraging me to use even more color in my work. Writing a book about chainsaw carving that needs to be ready by the end of the month. Coming back to life after two month’s artistic hibernation and gestation. Fixing up my…