Cowboy Magnet

This cowboy face is from one of Chris Hammack's designs. I bought his study cast and a blank from him. I did the eyes a little different and added a mouth. I don't know how he does his eyes but I'll find out next year when I take his class. 

Turkey or Santa

When I received my Woodcarving Illustrated magazine I had to carve Glens double sided holiday ornament. It's a turkey on one side and a santa face on the other using the same cutout. I also carved the little moons byDave Stetsen featured on the magazines website. I always look for ideas for carving scraps of wood. With a magnet on the back, they can be painted and they make nice give a ways.

  

Nuthatch Ornament

I hand carved this Nuthatch and used power for the texturing. The feathers were burned in. The Nuthatch is 4 inches long and will be used as an ornament. I like these birds as they can be hung on a tree for the holidays or hung the year around. I think it will look good in my motor home.

War Eagle

One of the classes at the NW Carving Academy in Ellensburg, Washington was taught by Jeff Harness. I am very happy the way this Native American Indian turned out and the instruction from Jeff. It was carved out of Cottonwood bark, 10 inches by 4 inches and 3 inches thick. The bark had a crack on the side which bark can have at times. It was a week long course at the fair grounds. A  couple of evenings I wood burned a horse on basswood. It was my attempt to shade. 

 

Red Fox

This carving is a stylistic red fox out of cottonwood bark. The fox is 7 inches long. The finish is hand rubbed Tru-Oil, which is a blend of linseed oil and natural oils that they use on gun stocks. The base is also cottonwood bark and it has a satin lacquer finish. 

Morning Dance

I received this pattern from a friend, Girard Burgess.  The first seahorse I carved, I broke a part on the front. It showed the glue mark so I carved another since it was to have a natural finish. I also didn't like the back fin because it was flat. I thought I needed some movement in the fin because the seahorse was swimming and the rest of the horse had all curved surfaces. The seahorses are 6 inches long and carved from basswood. The background plate is Acacia wood.

Comfort birds

My computer went down so I had to buy a new one. I'm learning how to move around Windows 8 and see what programs I can install. The birds are caved in butternut. The finish is Tru-Oil. It is a gun stock finishing oil. It is applied with your finger or a cloth. Applying several coats bring out the luster of the wood. The pattern I used is cut from a two inch square by four and a half inch long.