North Idaho Carver

Mini House

2012-01-27T16:49:00.000-08:00

I carved a couple of houses out of a small pieces of cottonwood bark left over from some other projects. Both are about 2 1/2 inches tall, 3 inches wide and around 2 inches thick. The first house has a lot of detail, with a dormer and side room. The second house is more whimsical with a tree and side room. Both are hollowed out in the back. I took picture from two different angles of each house.

Moose

2012-01-20T11:33:00.000-08:00

These are two carvings using Girards holiday designs. It's snowing here so the moose is still wearing his holiday garb. A little humor for a winter day when I'm shoveling snow. I did a different eye than the drawing. These are fun to carve and they will capture attention. The kids just love them.

Native American

2012-01-15T11:02:00.000-08:00

I carved this American Indian in cottonwood bark. It is 10 inches tall and 3 inches wide. There are a couple minor things I would change, all-though I like the way it turned out. It's not based on any particular tribe. I would like to show some of the features of the different tribes in the future.

Little Folk

2012-01-05T15:22:00.000-08:00

For Christmas I received "Whittling Little Folk" by Harley Refsal. I enjoyed carving two of the characters.and will carve some of the others. These are flat plane carvings and are carved with only a knife. Refsal has stories with his characters. Kristian's father emigrated from Norway in the late 1800s and purchased a 160 acre farm. Upon retirement Kristian and Thea deeded this farm to a nature conservancy. It is easy to relate to these Scandinavian stories and to be able to carve in this style. History and stories are always a part in carvings. These are 4 inches tall and a 2 inch square block.

Bob's Weather Wizard

2011-12-21T15:24:00.000-08:00

I'm starting with a story, The Lore of the Cottonwood Tree. There is a quiet small valley with a small river winding though. The 100 plus year old Cottonwood tree had it's top broken off and all the branches were gone. The bark was falling on the grass covered ground. The tree was bleached out by the sun. The Cottonwood tree spoke, "I see all the young tree's around me from my seed, but I feel something is missing." A warm breeze came from the south and whispered to the tree, "from your bark it you will be remembered with joy and comfort. Be at peace." For me it is a joy to find and carve Cottonwood bark. As we grow older we may have some of the same thoughts.

My friend Bob has a weather station, so I wanted to carve him a weather wizard. I don't know if it looks like a wizard, but the face looks like a Norseman to me. I'm attaching a card to it so he has another source for his forecast. It's 8 inches long and 1 1/2 inch diameter. The eye pupils were cut in with a gouge and then burnt in to darken them. Bob said he had the wizard to point to when somebody complained about the weather. He liked it very much.

Santa is coming

2011-12-15T15:06:00.000-08:00

This is my view of Cottonwood City, named after the famed cottonwood tree. The doors are a little ajar, waiting for that most important visitor this time of the year. Santa is lurking around the corner looking to see who has been naughty or nice. This has been a busy time of the year carving ornaments. These bark houses can be hung or set on the self. They are about 4 inches tall and all have a tree and a post. I carved 20 of these and they are all different with a simple design.

Baseball Pitcher

2011-12-08T12:25:00.001-08:00

I was given a Dave Stetson roughout last spring to carve for a Christmas gift. Of course apple pie and baseball are Americans favorites. I like both especially the little leagues, but it is second to apple pie.

Fin

2011-12-02T17:15:00.001-08:00

I was looking at a blog from Finland and seen this character with the ribbon look on the bottom. This one is carved with cottonwood bark. It is a good choice because of the layers it shows on the rounded surfaces. This is 6 inches tall by 1 1/4 inches round. I like to see more blog's from different countries around the world to see what they are carving. Today I did a craft show in my home town. It's a small town where you know a lot of people and of coarse you do barter some. It was fun to visit those who come around my booth.

Comfort Bird

2011-11-18T16:07:00.001-08:00

When I saw the Comfort bird in Woodcarving Illustrated I had to carve one. I liked the idea because of the touching aspect. I carved mine out of butternut and cottonwood bark. I used a knife to carve it then a palm sander to smooth out the knife marks. On the bark I cut the tail at a bit of an angle so it would show the layers of the bark. Both these woods are easy to carve and it doesn't take long to finish the bird. The finish is a couple coats of clear satin and then some wax. They do have a good feel to them. The pattern in the magazine is a little off, so draw a line though the middle and copy the one side for the other side.

Carving a Pine Cone

2011-11-04T15:20:00.000-07:00

A friend asked me how to carve a pine cone, so I will lay out the steps I take. This one is made as a ornament and it can be carved any size with a change in the layout dimensions. Other dimensions will give different results and that is OK. Cones come in all shapes and lengths.

I use a 1 1/2 inch block about 7 inches long. This will give two cones 3 inches long and it will be easier to hold on to when carving. Bullet shape the cone on each end. I free hand the vertical lines a little more than 1/2 inch apart to the point. This will even out the lines around the cone. I freehand the lines because it is quicker and I have trouble following the lines when I carve anyway. The start of the horizontal line is 3/4 inch from the top of a 3 inch cone.I make dots at the vertical line at 5/16 for the first three lines and 1/4 inch for the rest of the lines. Draw in those lines. Mark a X in each rectangle. The very tip will be v-tooled out, so don't worry about that. Spray with Deft to protect the lines you worked so hard to draw. Chip cut each diamond shape. Cut straight down the inverted V and then cut at an angle up to free the chip. Go around each row before starting the next row.. Depending how good you carve this might be good but for me it is a roughing stage. I like to carve fast.

Here I went back and cleaned up my cuts and deepened the cut to open up the cone. On the very end I used a v-tool and cut from the v to the end of the cone. Now to do the other one.

Now cut these two cones apart and shape the ends. These will be ornaments so there is enough wood to add ornament hooks to the top. You may notice that one cone I carved was more open than the other.

I painted the pine cones with acrylic's. I painted wet on wet with three different browns and green. Turn the carving as you paint because it is easy to miss a spot in one of the corners. The knob on the top I used gold. It went well with the browns. When dry I coated it with Deft.

The Wink

2011-10-27T15:44:00.000-07:00

This carving is from the site woodbeecarver.com. Don Mertz says, "Would be carvers would be carvers, if they would carve wood." It is a great site to learn carving using a knife. I have carved several of these faces out of 1/2 inch basswood. The more you carve these relief faces you learn there is a lot of wood to get the depth of the face. They are 2 1/2 inch by 2 inch. The eye pupil is burnt in. They both have a natural finish, the left one is just a darker wood. I had painted one but I like the natural finish better.

Walking Stick

2011-10-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

Using a walking stick has several advantages. It helps with your balance over rough areas, it takes some of the stress off your legs, and it can be used as a weapon to fight off the bears. This walking stick was carved from a Diamond Willow. It is said that the willow tree grows diamond shaped cankers in response to a fungus. The cankers seem to result from the tree growing away from the site of attack. I don't know how true this is because I'm carving one stick with cankers covering all three sides. I guess it doesn't matter how it gets there, it does make a nice walking stick or cane. It is a softer wood to carve. The stick is 57 inches long and the hand grip is just over my elbow level. I'm ready for my walk in bear country.

Awareness Ribbon

2011-10-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

October is breast cancer awareness month, so I have been working on an awareness ribbon with angel wings. I started with a 3 1/4 inch long by 3/4 inch thick piece of basswood. On the first one the wings were flat. I wanted more of a dish in the wings. I gave the pattern to a friend and he came back with a different wing pattern and a cutout that was 3/8 inch thick. I carved it two different ways with the head covering on the back. The 3/8 inch thick angels have a magnet in the back of the head. I like the down swept wing a little better. The up swept wing looks more futuristic to me. Because of the lighting the ribbons are off color. The ribbons are actually pink.

Patriotic Fish

2011-10-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

I went to Spokane's Artistry in Wood with good intentions of taking a few pictures of some of the great carvings. My cameras battery was dead. I was so busy I didn't get something entered in the show. Our club had a booth to entice some new members. Several of our members had carved this fish design and was displayed. I started out painting my fish with an airbrush and it didn't blend in the colors like I wanted. I finish it with brushes with a patriotic theme. The paint become heavier than I wanted. I'm not to thrilled with it and I will carve another one. When I manned the booth, a lady asked where a person could find cottonwood bark. I told her along the river. She said that wouldn't work because her husband couldn't swim. My chuckle of the day.

Heart Flower

2011-09-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

A friend gave me this flower he started carving and asked me to finish it. He designed it with four hearts and added some leaves. Girard likes to draw, and he designs some very good carvings. It is carved out of butternut and is 3 1/2 inch square by 3/8 inch thick. Butternut is easy to carve but it took a lot of sanding to bring out the richness of the wood. It has some interesting grain patterns.

Merit Badge Beads

2011-09-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

Angie contacted me about carving pine cone beads for their Boy Scout troop. She couldn't locate any online or in local bead stores. This sparked my interest because I didn't have any idea what they would be. She said they would be like Merit Wood Badge beads, 1 inch long by 1/2 inch in diameter and brown. A set will be attached to a cord and worn around the neck. The cord in the picture isn't the one they will be using. There is a rich history with Wood Badge beads and the Boy Scouts for their leadership. They will be presented to the scouts in late October. I started out with a 1/2 inch square by about 3 inches long. A little over 1 inch in length was rounded to a pine cone shape. I drew around the cone at 3/16 inch spaces from 1/4 inch from the top. I used the corners of the square and the middle of the flat parts to free hand draw the vertical lines. Then X the squares. I used a chip knife to cut straight down on the V lines and then angle cut out the chip. I carve around each line before going down to the next one. On the very bottom I used a v tool to carve to the point. I clamped the square part in a vise to drill a 3 mm hole for the cord. Then sawed it off to 1 inch and rounded the top and painted it. This is for our future leaders.

Montana Happy Turtle

2011-09-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

I received an e-mail from a lady who participated in my class of the happy turtle at the West Glacier Rendezvous. She had finished the turtle and sent some kind words and a picture. I like the paint job and the scene that explains why the turtle is happy. It is encouraging to see the work of others.

Cross Ornament

2011-09-14T16:07:00.000-07:00

The inside of this cross was opened up by drilling a series of holes on the center line of the side. I angled the cross to drill out the center. With a knife and gouge I opened the drilled area. I carved though at a angle to the center and in the opposite direction on other side. I did a simple chip carving on both sides and scalloped all the ends. The finish cross is Alizarin Crimson oil color and linseed oil. It's 4 inches long and out of 3/4 inch basswood.

Roadrunner

2011-09-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

I carved this roadrunner at the West Glacier Rendezvous. I remember the Roadrunner and Wile Coyote cartoon, beep, beep. It may not look like the cartoon caricature or the real roadrunner, but it was fun to carve. I don't know if his eyes are worried or tired. The ribs of the Saguaro Cactus were carved with a v tool in short cuts. The Saguaro Cactus grows maybe one inch a year, but to a great height of 15 to 50 feet. The largest plants are estimated to be 200 years old. They flower in May and June. If fertilization has occurred fruit will begin to form. The 3 inch green fruit ripens just before the fall rainy season, splitting open to reveal the bright red, pulpy flesh. The natives use the fruit for jam and nectar.

Gnome

2011-08-26T14:11:00.000-07:00

A few very nice days at West Glacier KOA and a carving Rendezvous with friends. Lots of classes and fellowship. One of the classes was a Gnome. I took this class because of Leroy. I wanted to learn more on how to teach carving. He is a great teacher and I spent more time listening to him talking to the beginners than carving. This is a very good beginning project and fun to carve. I did finish carving and painted the Gnome. I did teach a class on the happy turtle, a picture of it on the May post. I did use some of the points from Leroy on teaching. I was taken back when a lady told me she was blind. She was also in a wheelchair. She wanted to be able to carve something in bed when she went into cancer treatment next week. She could see a bit on the lines and could feel the goby. It was a special time for both of us and it makes me think of what little problems I have with my eyes and health. It is a time I will remember.

Pencil Santa

2011-08-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

The school supplies are out and I found these large size pencils. This is the time to buy them while they are in stock. They said they were premium wood, so they must be for carving. They are made from cedar. I intended to give these to preschoolers around Christmas and I was told by wife and daughter I didn't buy enough pencils, whatever that means. They are fun to carve and it doesn't take a lot of time.

Santa Ornament

2011-08-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

This is a Gargac style Santa ornament that is 4 1/2 inches long and cut diagonally from a 2 inch block, The back is dished out so it can be cut through in three spots. The beard and hair was painted with a watered down burnt sienna and then painted with a few coats of white, witch also was watered down. The hat is more burgundy then red with a gold trim. I did a few of these last year with white trim on the hat. This one is going to a raffle in a couple of weeks.

Native American Indian

2011-07-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

This Native American Indian is carved in cottonwood bark that I found along a creek in Idaho. It is 14 inches tall by 4 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches thick. I added a couple of strings of beads and ear rings. The different tribes used a wide variety of material, beads, bone, teeth, shells, leather, fur, and feathers. My wife decided it looked good on a table in the living room. If you are on Facebook a good site to check out is "Native American Indian - Old Photos". There are pictures from a lot of different tribes and it may take you all day to go though them. It is an excellent site for reference.

Cowgirl Saturday Night

2011-07-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

This is a Harold Enlow rough-out that I carved for a lady, who had bought this blank several years ago. I carved this same rough-out last year and the wood was also dry and hard to carve. I did more detail in this one and the face came out better.

Reindeer ornament

2011-07-08T10:05:00.000-07:00

This past week I went out to look for some cottonwood bark along a creek where there is a lot of cottonwood. It is a narrow road with step banks at times to get there. At the creek where it crosses the road was a dead tree with bark on it. I was able to harvest some bark from it. Then I crossed the creek and drove on a grass covered road that ended at the railroad tracks. The tracks follow along the creek, so I walked along the tracks where I saw a cottonwood that had no bark except at the top there was some bark. I had to go though some brush and then some high grass to reach the tree. The bark had come off the tree and was on top of the grass, so I was able to get some very good bark to carve. At home I had to see how good the bark was so I carved a folk-art reindeer and a small house. This is one of the cases that something dead comes to life. The bark is gray and hard on the outside layer, once carved through that layer it is easier to carve and it has the beautiful shades of brown. On the reindeer you can see the layers of the bark. It is 5 inches tall and 1 inch thick with a red stick pin for a nose. The house is 5 1/2 inches tall by 4 inches wide and 2 3/4 inches thick. I like the way the tree came out in this carving.

Whimsical Santa Tree

2011-07-01T18:40:00.000-07:00

I wanted to carve this Santa Tree and out camping was a good time to do this and I was able to finish two bark houses too. The Santa is 5 inches tall and 2 inches square. Instead of using a pattern approach to the tree I did random cuts for the branches, although I think using a pattern of some sort would have been easier and cleaner cuts. It would make a nice ornament.

Angry Fish

2011-06-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

This is the other class I took at the Spokane Rendezvous. The fish is 5 inches long and 3/4 inches thick. I added some rib lines to break up that space. The fish is Super Glued to a 4 inch diameter circle. I had good response in having the fish stick out beyond the circle.

Whimsical House

2011-06-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

I carved this Whimsical house in a class at the Spokane Rendezvous. The house is cottonwood bark and is 7 inches tall and 2 inches thick. It is more brown then the picture shows. The corner piece under the tree broke off when carving, so I used Super glued it back on. I could have left it off, but I thought it added to the piece. It was left plain without boards or shingles and I like the grain showing through.

Sunday Races

2011-06-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

Last day at the Spokane Rendezvous they have the entry for there carving contest. This year it was paddle boats. Displayed boats were judged for beauty and creativity and then for going the greatest distance in the water. I didn't take pictures of the race because there was such a crowd around the water. A fun weekend with great weather.

Spokane Carving Rendezvous

2011-06-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

Carving June 10 and 11, thanks to the Spokane, WA carving club. I was able to take a class on a bark house and a fish. I taught a class on the happy turtle that I posted earlier. This is a fun weekend to carve and meet friends old and new.

Angle Ornament

2011-06-04T13:49:00.000-07:00

I carved this angel out of butternut and left it the natural color, just a couple coats of Deft. I had the hands to high, so I need to lower them or cross the hands on the chest. It was hard to even the face like this. I'm also enlarging the wings so there will be more detail . A downward sweep on the wing may be another way to go. I like the way it turned out and didn't take that long to carve for an ornament. The angel is 4" high by 3" by 2".

12 Point Star

2011-05-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

These stars used up some of those wood scraps I have accumulated from other projects. They are carved from squares 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch. I used cottonwood bark, butternut, and of course basswood. They will make good give-a-ways and should look good on the tree.

Happy Turtle

2011-05-19T17:58:00.000-07:00

I made some minor changes on the turtle on my March 25 post. This will be my class project for the Spokane rendezvous this year. The turtle is 4 inches by 6 inches by 1/2 inch. This is glued on a 4 inch diameter by 3/8 inch circle. The circle was painted with a contrasting color. It was fun to adjust the color and the placement of the circle. The turtle with the blue circle is a pin, 2 inches by 3 inches. I haven't made up my mind if I like the red or blue background, but I'll carve another with the blue and maybe change the turtles color a little. Since this is a comic relief I can think of several titles. "I spend a long day carving."

Angus

2011-05-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

Angus comes from the way of Pete LeClair. He has done so many facial expressions over the years, and they are available to everyone. My thanks goes to Pete for my learning experience. The term expression usually happens when anyone change its face muscles in positive of negative response, at that point you say that what is the face is expressing or the person want to say. Usually the eyes present a clear view of the words which a person want to say. I just painted the hat and eyes, with a little red on the lips. The picture washed out the face but it looks good in person. I drilled a hole in the bottom so you can use it as a finger puppet. It' good for people who talk to themselves as others will think they are talking to the puppet. "Laughter out loud"

Chipmunk

2011-04-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

Spending time in the woodland it is hard not to notice the chatter of chipmunks. They range in color from gray to red. Chipmunks lives underground. They prefor to burrow near a rock, log or other object. The chipmunk will continue to dig for it's entire life. Burrows have been found over thirty feet long. Chipmunks feed on insects, nuts, seeds, berries and grain, which they stuff into their generous cheek pouches and carry to their burrow or nest to store. Chipmunks hibernate, but instead of storing fat, they periodically dip into their cache of nuts and seeds throughout the winter.

Big Eyed Fish

2011-04-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

This is a comic fish if you can't tell. It may have come up from deep in the sea. I carved two different fish with the same pattern in cottonwood bark. I didn't sand them so they show the tool marks. My hope was it added a scale look, plus I don't like sanding.

Low Flyer

2011-04-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

This time of year we have a migration of geese, ducks, and swans through our area. This is the first time I attempted a project in pyrography like this Mallard Drake. It was a woodburning with a variable temperature tool and a writing tip on basswood. I burned in curved lines, dash strokes. dots, and scrubby lines. The colored work was with watercolor pencils. I used pencil kit so the colors might not be exactly right. Some area's have several color layers.Temperature control and line techniques take a lot of practice.

Lady Praying

2011-04-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

This is a small simple carving of a lady praying. It's carved out of butternut with a natural finish. Butternut is easy to carve and it works well with this type of carving.

Comic Relief

2011-03-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

This was a comic drawing with the title "It's been one of those days". It's carved from 1/2 inch thick basswood and painted with acrylics. I learned a few things carving this turtle and I'm going to carve another one with a few changes. It was fun to carve and bring out the different levels. He does look a little punch drunk after a hard days work or maybe it was play.

Library Display

2011-03-11T17:46:00.000-08:00

In March I have the opportunity to show my carvings at the Plummer library. There are three large shelves so I have around five years of work displayed. I included information about some of the carvings for interest.

Thatch Hut

2011-03-03T20:22:00.000-08:00

This thatch hut was carved out of cottonwood bark. The hole in the front window was made by carpenter ants and goes thought to the bottom at the back. There is one other hole on the back. I found dead ants in both holes. The hut is finished with semi-gloss Deft. With the winter storms coming through, it makes you think of the little grass huts, a fruit drink in your hand and the warm ocean breeze.

Short Timer

2011-02-24T17:32:00.000-08:00

A Short Timer is anyone counting down the days to a significant date or event, such as retirement, military service, vacation, etc. My friend and I were talking and he had carved a short timer relief 40 years ago with a Nady White Hat and the boots and eyes showing, for a friend leaving the Navy. We got to talking and agreed any hat and shoe could be used. I mentioned using a baseball cap and the eyes showing though the back side. He sketched a picture of the idea and I carved it out of basswood. It is 3 inches wide by 5 inches long and 2 inches high. The eyes give a worried look about what may be in the future. I know when I retired there was some concern on making a large change.

A Rose

2011-02-17T19:35:00.000-08:00

These two roses were line drawings. Kolrosing can be used on any line drawing. I used a lighter depth on the shading on the one coaster. I think it gives more depth and a little more interest to the rose. The lines are filled with a finely ground espresso blend coffee. There is a little history on kolrosing on the July 2010 post. Here is also a picture of the kolrosing knife.

Clinging Cross

2011-02-10T16:17:00.000-08:00

The pattern for this cross is from the Carving magazine. The credit goes to Jane Davis who carved the crosses for volunteers who were traveling to New Orleans to help clean up after Hurricane Katrina. This clinging cross is carved from butternut and the finish is linseed oil, so it would have a soft feel to the cross.

Green Man

2011-01-27T13:06:00.001-08:00

This Green Man is the design of Gary McDanial of 3crosseswoodcarving.com. Gary has a great video on this carving. The Green Man is usually an image of a face or body with foliage coming from the mouth, nose or eyes. It is sometimes the face or body surrounded by profuse foliage. There is a rich history of the Green Man. Nobody actually knows what the original name was for the Green Man. The earliest records of this type of design were found on memorial monuments to rich citizens, somewhere around 100 A.D. It was then a symbol of the renewal of life. The Christian church borrowed this art in Saxon times. To the medieval Christian mind he became a symbol of the rebirth after death. It is found in churches and cathedrals all across Europe. The Green Man today has a different meaning for most where he represents the cycle of nature. With the Renaissance the symbolic use appears to have declined, and the Green Man was used more as a conventional decorative motif.

Bark House Spoon

2011-01-21T16:13:00.000-08:00

With all the wall hanging spoons carved, I thought why not in bark and a whimsical house. It looks good on the wall. The boards are burned in and the rest was carved.

Thank You Military Personal

2011-01-13T18:00:00.000-08:00

To show my thanks to our military personnel who serve in Afghanistan & Iraq and their families, I'm carving Santa ornaments to send to those who are interested. I know I can't give every service person one, but I can take the time to carve a fair amount this year. I need to start early because of the time it takes to carve them. Contact me if you have a request. The Santa is four inches long and cut from a two inch block and cut at an angle. They are painted with acrylics with a coat of Deft. To keep up my interest there will be small difference in carving and painting techniques. There is a small space on the back where I can burn in a name or a small message of your choosing. God bless our military.

Cowgirl

2011-01-04T16:43:00.000-08:00

This cowgirl was from a rough-out. The wood was dried out and hard to carve. I wasn't to happy the way the face turned out. I didn't go in much detail as I would like because of the wood. I like the paint job, so not everything is lost. Anyway this gal is ready to go dancing.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T11:12:00.000-08:00

My family and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. I started carving a bark ornament much like the ones in the Dec. 2 post. The bark kept breaking off of the back, so I carved it flat. I could of kept it as an ornament or a pin, but instead I glued a magnet on the back and it's on the refrigerator. I also carved a reindeer out of basswood as a refrigerator magnet. The wood has a bad spot on the back, but it looks OK. Just the nose and feet are painted. These are quick and fun Projects.

Santa is Worrysome

2010-12-17T13:17:00.000-08:00

This Santa was carved from a Pete LeClair pattern. He looks a little worried this Christmas season, but I think it will turn out OK. Whether you've been naughty or nice there's still time to correct it with Santa. Merry Christmas to all and it is the season for giving, even if it is just a friendly hello.

Fusion Santa

2010-12-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

The season of joy and good will is among us. This Santa combines both caricature and chip carving. In an article in Woodcarving magazine, Gary Peiffer uses a lathe turned blank. I don't have a lathe so it's carved to round for the chip carving. It's 1 1/2 inch square by 8 inches tall. The Santa is painted with acrylic's and a couple coats of Deft.

Star Ornaments

2010-12-02T15:29:00.000-08:00

These are a couple of variations of the Christmas Star. The Star ornaments are carved in cottonwood bark. The one is 4 inches long and the other 3 inches long. I used a v-cut on the 3 inch long one and it shows more of the bark layers. They are finished with three coats of Tru-Oil, which is for gun stocks. It really brings out the bark color. They make a nice addition to the Christmas tree.

Pine Cone Ornament

2010-11-25T10:02:00.000-08:00

This pine cone ornament is carved out of basswood. Pine cones come in male and female varieties. The male cone is usually no more than two inches long and lives only a few months in the spring or the autumn. After it releases it's pollen, the male cone falls off the tree. The pollen travels by wind to the larger female cone. After pollination, the female cone takes one to three years to mature. The seeds release in several different ways depending on the type of tree.

I added snow and a small cardinal to the bark house ornament that was on the Nov. 14 post. I think it added a little to the look of the house. The cardinal was bought from a craft store.

Hobo

2010-11-20T18:05:00.000-08:00

I carved this hobo from a pattern in Woodcarving Illustrated. It has so many angles on the clothing, it made it a challenge to carve. The start of the hobo's began at the end of the civil war. With the network of trains it was easy to travel around the country. They traveled for harvest times, for farm work and sometimes just for a meal. They liked their independence and story telling around the campfires. During the war a lot of them joined the army so their numbers were greatly reduced.

Bark House Ornament

2010-11-14T17:18:00.000-08:00

At our club a few of us joined in carving these small bark ornaments last Saturday. The back isn't opened up so I decided to carve in windows and boards on the front and back. It makes an interesting ornament out of a small piece of bark. I burned in the boards and around the windows. I'm thinking I should add a little snow to the roof since it is winter. It's 4 1/2 inches tall and 3/4 inch thick.

Back view

Front view

Santa Ornament in Bark

2010-11-05T11:13:00.001-07:00

I'm still carving ornaments for Christmas gifts. I have 5 more to go. Meanwhile I carved this santa ornament in cottonwood bark. The grain of the bark is with the face, so the nose wouldn't break off. This is a good project for bark because of the simple design. The swirled hat added to the design and was fun to carve. It's a no see um because the eyes are covered by the hat. The finish is a coating of semi-gloss Deft for a natural look. It was a design by Dave Francis who lives in Canada.

Bark ornament

2010-10-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

One of my carving friends carved ornaments out of cottonwood bark one year to give away. It's a good way to use small pieces of bark. This one is five inches long. The back is hollowed out. I used a razortip burner to make the board lines, nail holes, and some texture on the rocks and around the windows. The dark area on the right side is the outside of the bark. It has a flat bottom so it can stand on it's own. As you carve into the bark you get these beautiful colors from the different layers. I use Deft to protect the wood and it brings out the rich colors. The bark is from dead trees so there is no danger to the tree.

Pumpkin in wood

2010-10-21T10:46:00.001-07:00

This was an interesting carving to do because of the steps I went through. I cut the outside perimeter with a band saw, then cut both ends off. Then cutting through the side I cut out the center. I glued the cut on the side together and then carved out the inside. I glued the bottom piece back on and carved the outside. The top stem is carved and then glued to the top end that I cut off. I also cut a piece from the part cut out of the inside and glued it to the bottom of the lid. Then I finished carving the pumpkin and it was painted. This is basically a band saw box. I added a battery candle inside and now I'm ready for Halloween.

Eagle Plaque

2010-10-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

My eagle plaque carving is only 5 inches long and 3/8 inch thick. I have it hanging in the motor home. That is abalone glued in the center. It is cut from the abalone shell of a sail. The shells come in many different colors depending on what the snails eat. The lucky person is who gets to eat the snail and then make a piece of jewelery out of the shell.

Artistry in Wood 2010

2010-10-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

The Artistry in Wood is the Spokane Carvers annual show and sale. This is just a few pictures from the show, including our booth for the North Idaho Woodcarvers. This year it was on Oct. 2 and 3.

October carving display

2010-10-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

Kelvin and I are displaying some of our carvings at the St. Maries library. There is a wide selection of different carvings, so we hope there will be a lot of interest. The pictures don't do it justice because it was shot straight on and there's so many carvings at different levels and angles.There was a young girl of preschool age when I was adding to the display that pointed to the Santa Claus.

Blackburnian Warbler

2010-09-22T13:35:00.001-07:00

The Blackburnian Warbler migrates to the north spruce woods of Canada and northeastern United States in the spring. They nest high in the spruce trees and feed on insects they find in the trees. They winter in the south mostly in the Andean Highlands from Venezuela to Peru. The Warbler is 4 1/2 to 5 inches long. The Warblers come in so many rich and brilliant colors. I carved this bird a little larger then half size at the West Glacier Rendezvous and used the guide of Rick Butz's book on Woodland Warblers for the colors. The feet are made with wire and the eyes are glass.

Rooster

2010-09-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

This was a project we carved in a three hour class at the West Glacier rendezvous this last August. I painted it with acrylic's when we got home. The rooster is 6 inches tall and out of basswood. The wings and tail are pegged in place. The rooster has a Christmas theme with the red hat and coat. It is a simple project with a country look.

Salmon

2010-09-05T15:22:00.001-07:00

This is fish carved out of a 4 inch long piece of cottonwood bark. It fits nicely between the area by the doors of the upper cabinets in our motor home. Too bad the material in the background ran vertical and not with the salmon swimming up the river to spawn.

Native American Indian

2010-09-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

I took a three hour class at the West Glacier Rendezvous by Ron Adamson of this Native American Indian. I had finished the face in the class; the hair, braids, bead work and medallion were finished at home. The wood is cottonwood bark and is 4 inches wide and 16 inches long. I was going to put grooves in the feather but the the grain of the bark showed feather lines. It was finished with semi-gloss Deft. It is darker than the picture shows. If you are on Facebook you might want to look up Native American Indian - Old Photo. It has 172 photo albums and 422 photos by others featuring a lot of different tribal members.

Cheese Knives

2010-08-26T15:36:00.000-07:00

These cheese knives are one of the 3 hour classes we did at West Glacier. We could choose a knife, a spreader or a pickle fork. The knife is 2 1/4 inch long and the wood is 1 inch square by 3 inches long. I'm going to order more of the knives and spreaders to carve different faces on the handles. They will make fun gifts for giving.

Rendezvous at West Glacier

2010-08-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

The carving rendezvous at West Glacier is three days of carving projects, potlucks, and meeting new and old friends. We were able to drive over going to the sun road. What a beautiful trip. Then it was down to the business of carving. I will post the carvings when I get them painted.

Hang Ten

2010-07-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

This Orca or Killer Whale was carved and painted in the Northwest Native American style. My hands aren't as steady for the small lines as I wish. This carving is just 4 inches long. The Killer Whale belongs to the Dolphin's family. The males can grow as large as 32 feet and the females can reach 32 feet. The dorsal fin can reach 6 feet high in males. The Killer Whales live in and hunt in pods (groups). They work together to circle the herd prey area before attacking. They feed on salmon, herring, seals, sea lions, sharks, and smaller whales. Each tooth can be about 3 inches long and 2.5 inches in diameter. They communicate through a wide variety of sounds such as clicks, whistles and pulsed calls.

Santa Ornament

2010-07-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

This santa ornament I've done several times in the past. I like to carve this when we are out camping where I don't need to take a lot of tools. It is caved of a 2 inch by 5 inch block of basswood cut diagonally. Part of the fun for us at Christmas is to decorate the tree with handcrafted ornaments. It brings back memories from the past years of the joy with our family, the different menus we had, all the different cards received and of coarse the reason for Christmas.

Seahorse

2010-07-08T15:40:00.000-07:00

I finally finished painting the seahorse I carved at the Spokane rendezvous. It's more of a cartoon style. I pulled some of the orange paint onto the piece of driftwood the seahorse is mounted on. You might not see the sand on the driftwood in the picture. While we were at the Denver Aquarium I was able to take a picture of a seahorse. They come in different colors and range from .6 to 8 inches in size. They use their dorsal fin in the back to propel themselves through the water in an upright position. The seahorses don't have teeth or a stomach, so they eat constantly on daphnia, cyclops, larvae, and brine shrimp. They have a single mate for life and every morning they come together , dance, change their color, twirl around with linked tails and separate for the rest of the day. We were able to see this happen at the aquarium. There eyes move independently, one may be looking to the left and the other straight up. The female deposits its eggs into the males pouch and the babies are born from the male.

Kolrosing

2010-07-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

Kolrosing is a very old method of giving fine line surface decoration to wood, simply using the tip of a belt knife to make cuts and then rubbing coal dust into it to bring out the Pattern. The Scandinavian tradition used it to decorate spoons, small bowls, boxes, cups, etc. The designs were more geometric or Celtic in origin, but anything which can be drawn with a pencil can be done. It is like in the early years where you are to follow the lines. "O Boy" that is tough when the knife wants to follow the grain of the wood. I used a Kolrosing knife and used espresso grounds to rub in the lines. Then I coated it with mineral oil and then a wax.

Deputy Dee

2010-06-19T17:19:00.000-07:00

A pretty face and a winning smile, but don't think this deputy won't do her job. She is tough as nails and can shoot a fly at 50 paces. I got the face a little more red than I wanted, but other than that she looks OK. LOL

Chief Kamiakin

2010-06-14T16:05:00.001-07:00

Back in January a scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts asked if our club would carve four different subjects for their jamboree in July. Girard and I worked from a bronze plaque of Chief Kamiakin. He was distinguished as a warrior and buffalo hunter. He accrued substantial wealth, allowing him to marry five wife's from rival tribes. This created kinship with many tribes. He brought back cattle to the Yakima valley, a first. Kamiakin planted one of the earliest gardens and irrigated his land. In1850 he offered a Catholic priest a place on his property for a mission, if the priest would teach his tribe. Two Catholic Fathers arrived, and built St.Joseph's Mission on Ahtanum Creek. In 1853 the Washington Territory was established and the treaty process begin. Kamiakin died in 1877.

Carving Rendezvous

2010-06-13T23:24:00.000-07:00

A weekend at the Spokane Carving Rendezvous brought classes, friendship, potlucks, and some great weather. I was able to go to three classes, a seahorse and a relief brown trout, which need to be painted yet. I also had a class in Kolrosing. I taught a class on carving a santa ornament that went well. We were able to enter a contest in carving a spoon with the second part to be announced on Sunday. We were divided into two teams and had a relay to carry water with our spoon to a container and see which team got the most water. It was fun for us and the bystanders rooting on the teams.

Native American

2010-06-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

A Native American carved out of a 2" x 5" x 8" piece of basswood. It's painted with acrylics. There's always been a great interest in these past warrior's and their history. The back is cut out and it is meant to be a mask with the eyes cut out. It is carved half size and makes a great wall hanging.

Just Looking

2010-05-25T09:41:00.000-07:00

These geese are carved from basswood. I liked them carved in bark a lot better, because of the grain of the bark. There is just a natural finish on the birds and the base. A fun part was how to arrange the birds on the base. They looked good in several ways. They are screwed in so they can be turned for a different look.

Goose

2010-05-18T14:48:00.000-07:00

This goose is carved out of cottonwood bark. The part showing bark at the feet was a friendly accident and shouldn't be carved out. It's 6 inches long and two and one half inches tall. I have carved this goose and a mate out of basswood. It's in the process of a finish and base.

Young carver

2010-05-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

With help and a little guidance my nephew Carson carved a little owl. He used a v-tool at an angle to carve the feathers. They stood out a little and it looked cool. Carson did a great job.

Cardinal Ornament

2010-04-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

An American Cardinals flew in. No, we are not lucky enough to have these birds come to our feeders in northern Idaho. This bird were carved out of basswood. I wanted to show the feathers so I burned them in with Razertips feather formers. The picture lighting isn't very good, so it doesn't show the fine details. I like the wing hanging down but I'm still working on the wing shape and to narrow the head. It takes some practice to burn in the feathers, but I'm learning that as well.

Endless Ribbon

2010-04-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

The Mobius strip was named after a mathematician, August Mobius. The Mobius strip has only one side and one edge. It is used in belts so that they will last longer. Cutting the strip in two in the middle of the band you will get one long endless ribbon with a couple of extra twists. Math has it's fun side.

American Goldfinch

2010-04-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

The Goldfinch is found throughout the United Sates and in southern Canada. This project is a life size and is on a piece of driftwood.With their lemon yellow color they are very noticeable flying around and at the feeders.

The Man in the Moon

2010-04-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

I carved a couple of these ornaments from a pattern that was given to me last fall. I had them cut out but didn't carve them until now. It's about 3 inches square by 3/8 inch thick. It's finish is a oil paint wash.

Leafing Out

2010-04-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

This hen reminds me of back on the farm the hen wouldn't lay her eggs in the nest, you needed to hunt all over for that egg.

This hen is 8 inches by 10 inches by 3/4 inch and is carved out of jelutung. This wood carves very nice with hand tools and has a nice finish. This is a fun project with the different leaves and scrolls. It can be hung on the wall or stand alone. The finish is a brown madder oil paint wash and when dried was sprayed with Deft.

Fish

2010-03-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

I liked the way my first fish looked so I carved one in cottonwood bark. This one I added tail fins that has some motion. It's about 5 inches long. I cut a fish hook for a eye and super glued it to the back. Our motor home has these cloth area's on the outside of the cabinets so you can pin various stuff. It will be a good addition for our traveling home.

Fish Relieved

2010-03-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

This design is from a member of our club. They were carved in various woods and sizes. Mine is basswood and mounted on a piece of mahogany, 3 1/2 inches by 6 inches. The fish has a light stain.

Mountain Man

2010-03-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

This figure head is done in cottonwood bark. A little of the bark is shown at the top and the bottom sides. It is sprayed with several coats of satin DEFT. It sure does bring out the color of the bark. The fun part is carving the flow of the hair and the beard. I sometimes carve something in the back, but I didn't this time. Maybe later.

Wolf- finished

2010-03-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

I found this piece of driftwood on the Washington coast that was weathered and gray. I dipped it into boiled linseed oil and it turned black and it looked like it was burnt. The next day I used a gouge to cut off the top layer and the result was this rich brown. What a surprise, a piece I thought was scape turned out this color. The wolf is pinned on the driftwood with brads and super glue. The block of wood underneath is attached with screws to the driftwood.

Wolf, painting

2010-02-23T09:29:00.000-08:00

When painting the wolf I used light washes of acrylic paints on the wolf. Brown tones, gray and white. It takes several coats to bring out the colors. The next step is mounting the wolf on a habitat and stand.

Wolf, burning in the hair

2010-02-16T10:00:00.001-08:00

I used a Razertip unit to burn in the hair. I started on the rear legs burning in small c lines. I didn't like the way it looked, so I carved off that part and started over again burning in small s lines. I also used a gouge to carve the area around the ribs to break up that smooth look. Depending on the grain of the wood it made a difference on the heat setting on the burner. It's the first time I did hair like this, so I learned a lot. Next step is to paint the wolf.

Wolf Carving in progress

2010-02-11T10:37:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be interesting to see the progress of a carving. I started from a block of basswood 2 inches by 5 inches tall by 8 inches in length. I used a band saw to cut out the side view. The wolf is hand carved with a knife and gouges, then lightly sanded for the next step of burning in the hair.

Area reliefs

2010-02-08T15:28:00.000-08:00

I had a request to show all the relief carvings that we did as a club project. This is the only picture I have and shows how we displayed them. One vertical grouping of five and eleven in another grouping. It went over quite well as we had a lot of great comments.

Hillbilly

2010-02-04T16:10:00.000-08:00

The hillbilly is a good beginner project from Gene Messer. They are fun and quick to carve with just a knife and a v-tool. He is carved from a blank, one inch square by six inches long. I like to do a variety of carvings, to break up my projects that take up a lot more time.

Springhouse

2010-01-30T16:39:00.000-08:00

This relief carving was mostly done last year but was put aside for other projects. It took me longer than I thought it would. I cleaned a few areas and painted it last week with acrylics. It's done in basswood, 9 1/2 by 12 inches and 1 1/4 inches thick.

Chief Kamiakin

2010-01-26T09:57:00.000-08:00

At our North Idaho Woodcarvers club get together we had a visit from a scoutmaster. The Boy Scouts are having a national jamboree in July and asked if we could carve some relief carvings of something that represents their troop. There are four troops in eastern Washington and four troops in northern Idaho in the Inland Northwest Council. Our club is doing the Idaho side and the carved plaques will be mounted on a nine foot pole. I will be working with a friend, Girard on the profile of Chief Kamiakin, which was chosen by one of the troops. This picture is a likeness of the Chief given to us to use as a guide.

Cottonwood Bark

2010-01-21T12:13:00.000-08:00

This last week I carved the same monk from 2002, only using cottonwood bark. The bark for carving comes only from dead trees. It's in layers, so every cut reveals a different look. I added a little more detail on the eyes and nose. It is five inches tall and it's grain runs front to back. The arm side you see in the picture would be towards the wood of the tree. Several coats of satin Deft bring out the rich colors of the bark.

Monks

2010-01-15T16:43:00.000-08:00

The monk on the right I carved back in 2002. It's not quite 5 inches tall and 2 inches wide. It seemed to take forever to carve this simple design. The monk on thee left I carved last December. It is 7 inches tall from an inch and one half square piece of basswood. His hands are brought together in the back. A friend had carved one several years ago and brought it in for a pattern. Every christmas I look back at the ornaments I've carved and can see progress in carving skills. I ask myself if I shouldn't carve some of the earlier pieces again.

Parkway

2010-01-10T15:38:00.000-08:00

I recieved my relief carving from a project our club did last year. Members picked a photo of a scene around the Coeur d'Alene area to carve. They are approximately 8 by 11 by 3/4 inches, and were all sprayed with a lacquer. Some were vertical and some horizontal, then mounted in a framework like a quilt. We recieved a lot of comments and people did recognize the different area's when they were displayed.

Caricature

2010-01-05T13:11:00.000-08:00

The Quigley challenge from Lynn's Outwest blog has started. I look forward in coming up with a carving of Quigley and seeing the other carvings. It should be fun. This caricature head was one from a video from Lynn's blog. I got the eyes a little off kilter, other than that it came out pretty good. I haven't put a hat on him. I'm going to leave him as is and use this carving as a guide. We have 30 day's to carve a Quigley bust so I better get cracking.

Whittle Tee Noggins

2010-01-01T12:21:00.000-08:00

It is a new year and I have all kind of projects in mind. I saw these whittle tee noggins on WoodBeeCarvers blog and I had to try carving one. I didn't use a golf tee as I had lots of scraps from other carvings. They are about 1/2 inch diameter and just short of 3 inches tall. It is surprising how much face detail you can carve in a small space. They are quick and fun to carve and will be interesting gifts to my golfer friends.

Chickadee

2009-12-30T15:20:00.000-08:00

The thing about carving a bird is that it will try your patience and hurry you along. This is a life size chickadee on a piece of driftwood found on the Washington coast. I pegged the driftwood to a smaller piece of wood. I first had a thicker piece of wood attached, but it competed with the driftwood.

North Idaho Carver

Mini House

Moose

Native American

Little Folk

Bob's Weather Wizard

Santa is coming

Baseball Pitcher

Fin

Comfort Bird

Carving a Pine Cone

The Wink

Walking Stick

Awareness Ribbon

Patriotic Fish

Heart Flower

Merit Badge Beads

Montana Happy Turtle

Cross Ornament

Roadrunner

Gnome

Pencil Santa

Santa Ornament

Native American Indian

Cowgirl Saturday Night

Reindeer ornament

Whimsical Santa Tree

Angry Fish

Whimsical House

Sunday Races

Spokane Carving Rendezvous

Angle Ornament

12 Point Star

Happy Turtle

Angus

Chipmunk

Big Eyed Fish

Low Flyer

Lady Praying

Comic Relief

Library Display

Thatch Hut

Short Timer

A Rose

Clinging Cross

Green Man

Bark House Spoon

Thank You Military Personal

Cowgirl

Merry Christmas

Santa is Worrysome

Fusion Santa

Star Ornaments

Pine Cone Ornament

Hobo

Bark House Ornament

Santa Ornament in Bark

Bark ornament

Pumpkin in wood

Eagle Plaque

Artistry in Wood 2010

October carving display

Blackburnian Warbler

Rooster

Salmon

Native American Indian

Cheese Knives

Rendezvous at West Glacier

Hang Ten

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Santa Ornament

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Kolrosing

Deputy Dee

Chief Kamiakin

Carving Rendezvous

Native American

Just Looking

Goose