I’ve been absent, but not idle. Here’s a picture of Trefour, now finished and guarding my desk at work.
Trefour at work, butternut, 2015
Trefour, finished
Leave a reply
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Foot Bowl 1
I spent the July 4th weekend at a cottage (or “camp”) not far from Sudbury. Walking in the bush we came across some interestingly shaped spruce. A few hours later and with the help of my Arbortech minigrinder, I was able to give my hosts this bowl. Flip it over and it looks like a foot, but this way up the colours make it look like a seashell.
Foot Bowl 1, spruce, July 2015
A little beachcombing yielded the decorative stones.
Trefour’s Face
Happy Canada Day, everyone!
Hope fellow Canadians had a great day off. I enjoyed quality time carving in the garden, and as a result, Trefour’s face is done. Here he is, in all his happy glory.
Trefour’s face, finished
Just the base left to refine, then final sanding and finishing!
Comfort Birds
I carved a couple of these last weekend, while staffing the Ontario Wood Carvers Association’s display table at the Leslieville Tree Festival in Toronto.
comfort bird
Pennsylvania carver Frank Foust is credited with creating the original comfort bird in 1982. According to this article (with pattern!) from Woodcarving Illustrated in 2011, comfort birds “are often given to those in need, such as the ill, blind, homeless, or elderly, or people in disaster areas … as a token of support and an act of kindness.”
More broadly, they make great stress toys. The rounded shape fits naturally in the hand, and the smooth finish invites stroking.
The pattern I followed is slightly different from the one in Woodcarving Illustrated — and the instructions there are for power carving, whereas I whittled my little guys with hand tools — but key to the success of any comfort bird is the sanding and finishing. Their tactile appeal comes from an absolutely glasslike finish. I sanded through the grits to 320, then buffed my birds with a sanding pad followed by brown paper. I finished with Danish oil, top coated with wax, though polyurethane would work well too.
The Niagara Woodcarvers Show … and The Hoblet
This past weekend, March 28-9, was the Niagara Carving Show. This show is one of the highlights of my carving calendar. From the outstanding venue at Heartland Forest, to the quality of the carvings, the seminars and the show tables, this one has it all. Visitors to the show also enjoy the door prizes, silent auction and great food — both from the kitchen and the chip truck outside.
The organizers, the Niagara Woodcarvers Association, hold their annual dinner during the show, which includes awards and entertainment. If you live in the Niagara area and are interested in carving, this is a great group to join. They hold classes and monthly meetings, and have worked on several large projects in the region.
A key feature of the Niagara show are the seminars by master carvers. This year’s presenters were Tom Gallagher (president of the Ontario Wood Carvers Association) and Doug Maracle, who was also featured on the cover of Niagara This Week. Doug’s exceptional carvings have been presented to heads of state and featured in gallery showings, and his Niagara talk was a great opportunity to gain some insight into how he goes about his work.
Doug Maracle and carvings. Photo credit: Richard Hutton, Niagara This Week
While in Niagara, I stayed at a wonderful B&B called The Hoblet. More than just a place to rest your head, the hoblet is a donkey sanctuary. In fact, owners Petra and Mush rescue not only donkeys, but goats and pigs as well — and the animals are enthusiastic about becoming your friends (though it has to be said, the carrots help). From the outside, the cabin appears rustic, down a lane, almost camouflaged by the trees; inside, the space caters to your comforts, right down to the indoor sauna.
Your stay at The Hoblet supports hay, farriers and other costs of caring for the animals. I was so entranced that I made them a new sign.
New sign for The Hoblet, March, 2015
Spoons. Shows. Spoons at shows.
It’s been far too long since my last post, so here’s a picture of a calla lily spoon I finally got around to finishing last week.
Calla lily spoon
The blank for this was cut by Bill Myette. Bill’s an executive member of the Ontario Wood Carvers Association (shown here working on the Maple Leaf Forever Tree at the Ontario Science Centre).
Bill Myette at the Ontario Science Centre
Alongside his larger projects Bill’s an outstanding spoon carver. He’s led spoon carving workshops at the Toronto Tool Library, and you can also find him at many Ontario carving club shows, where he staffs the OWCA booth and sells finished spoons and project blanks. The next of these shows will be the Hamilton Woodworking Show, February 27 and 28 at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. Hope to see you there!
Looking Ahead to 2015
When the holidays end, the winter months ahead can look pretty bleak. But for Ontario carvers, this quiet time is the prelude to a busy show season just ahead. Finish your projects now, and you could be on the road collecting ribbons this spring.
Here are some shows I’m looking forward to.
Hamilton: Canadian Woodcarving Championship at the Hamilton Wood Show — Canada’s largest consumer woodworking show
February 27 – March 1, 2015
www.woodshows.com/cwc
Kitchener: Wood Art in the Cities: Owl’s Nest Carving Competition and Canadian National Wildfowl Carving Competition
March 13 – 15, 2015
www.canadiannationals.net/location-date.html
Gravenhurst: 6th Annual Chainsaw Carving Event
March 19 – 22, 2015
http://www.backyardstuff.net
Niagara Woodcarvers Association 36th Annual
Show and Competition
March 28 – 29, 2015
www.niagarawoodcarvers.ca/show.html
Belleville: Quinte Woodcarving Show
April 11, 2015
www.quintewoodcarvers.ca/carving-show
Gone pro!
Thanks to the good people at Silver Mile Hardware in Scarborough and Roca Wood Works, I am now selling my carvings. These three spirits are now on display and looking for their new homes.
They are carved into century-old cedar fence rails and range in height from 3.5 to 5 feet tall. Finished with indoor/outdoor varnish. The one in the middle has an old ring set into it, which could be used to hang a planter.
More carvings coming soon!
To all readers and followers, happy holidays and all the best for 2015.
Work in progress
People have been asking me what I’m working on these days, so here are a couple of pictures.
While commonly referred to as a gargoyle, this fellow is actually called a grotesque. The difference? Gargoyles – from the same root word as “gargle” – have an elongated neck and a spout. They were added to buildings to direct rainwater off roofs and away from walls. Grotesques are/were fancifully frightening human or animal sculptures; their original intended purpose was to drive away evil spirits.
I’m carving this grotesque in butternut and almost entirely with hand tools. Compared to chainsaw, where you can rough-carve a wood spirit in under an hour, this feels like slow going indeed. But he’ll be very nice when done – butternut has a really lovely grain.
Magic In Wood – Ontario Wood Carvers Association Competition & Show
The Ontario Wood Carvers Association’s 35th annual competition and show will be on at the Pickering Recreation Complex October 18-19, 2014.
The competition awards prizes at the youth, novice, intermediate and open levels. Special awards — Originality/Creativity, President’s Choice and Carvers’ Choice — bring the total prize value at the event to more than $5,000.
Along with the competition, the show will spotlight the work of a master carver. This year’s featured carver will be Tony Endhoven.
Magic in Wood attracts exhibitors and vendors from across the province. People who have never carved before can try their hand at “You Can Carve”, where they can create a plaque under the watchful eye of a carving instructor. More experienced carvers can attend hands-on workshops, including caricature, relief, architectural and tool sharpening sessions.
Carvers who want to take part in this year’s competition can submit their entry form online or download and print the form at the association’s website: www.ontariowoodcarvers.com/
Magic In Wood: 35th Annual Competition & Show
October 18-19, 11 am – 4:00 pm
Free admission and free parking
Pickering Recreation Complex
1867 Valley Farm Road
Pickering, ON L1V 3Y7
Map
Diamond Carving 