Meet the latest Lo-Fi-Ga, "Hoo-Tah" - 3/3/15 - Image-a-day

Here is another Lo-Fi-Ga I recently finished. His name is "Hoo-Tah", the spirit of mysterious sounds in the night.

All of the Lo-Fi-Ga's are carved from  Hickory Nut Husk. This one, without the base, is about an inch and quarter high.

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Meet "Bo-San" the Latest Lo-Fi-Ga - 2/26/15 - Image-a-day

I thought I'd take a break from posting another picture of snow as I'm sure you are probably getting tired of the cold and snow and winter. As this was a "snow day" for me, which meant a day off of work as my work place was closed, I put the time to good use and finished off a few things that have been lying around the studio for much too long.

Allow me to introduce the latest Lo-Fi-Ga, "Bo-San". He is number six in the ongoing and open-ended series of miniature, neo-primitive carvings. Like of the other Lo-Fi-Ga's, "Bo-San" was carved from a Hickory Nut Husk.

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Farewell Mike Larsen - 1/29/15 - Image-a-day

This is a wood sculpture by Michael Larsen. Mike was a friend and brother-artist and he died this week at the much too young age of forty-four. I knew Mike from working with him at Virginia Scenic where we both carved theatrical set pieces. We always had a friendly competition and would trash talk each other's work, but when the rubber-met-the-road, Mike always was generous of spirit and a supportive colleague.

I don't know why he left us too soon, but the world is a better place for the lovely art he created while he was with us.

Rest in peace my friend.

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Unfinished Business - 1/8/15 - Image-a-day

I have a few things laying on the work bench that need to be finished; a tiki head, a couple of angel wings and two new Lo-Fi-Ga miniatures. Time moves too quickly and there's always duties and distractions that keep me away from the studio, but last year I found more time for my creative life and this is a good thing. My essential nature is to make art and I am always better for the time spent in the studio, so this year I hope to spend even more time.

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The Return of the Lo-Fi-Ga - Daav

It wasn't always like this. Long ago, the world was run by many gods, large and small; powerful and meek; arrogant and humble. Every god had their place and task and their community hummed with divine purpose. As humankind crawled out of the dark of superstition and stumbled into the light of civilization, those gods were forgotten one-by-one, until now. I have begun a series of carvings to try and resurrect those old gods, because face it, these days we need all the help we can get.

Here is the very first one, a lesser god, or "Lo-Fi-Ga" in the ancient tongue. His name is "Daav" and his domain was/is the eye rub. Whenever you get an itchy eye, old "Daav" is there to help you out.

This carving is tiny, less than an inch-and-a-half high, not including the base. It's carved from a dried Hickory tree nut husk fragment which I have been collecting from a nearby park when I'm out walking.

Until December 7, 2014, you can see this piece in the flesh at the "Small Works" Exhibition at the Charles H. Taylor Center in Hampton, Va. After that show, I don't know where you'll be able to see him as he has become part of somebody's collection.

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"Maya Bird" Takes Flight

My latest woodcarving was inspired by a Mayan icon of a bird that I found in a book called, "Design Motifs of Ancient Mexico". The book features simple black and white drawings collected from rubbings of pottery and temple art across central America. The author, Jorge Enciso, has categorized the images by subject; geometric shapes, types of plants and animals, etc., and I never fail to find something to get my creative juices flowing again.

I am still working on a pile Cedar boards leftover from a fence project. The wood is not ideal for detailed work as the grain density isn't always consistent. Sometimes a good section will have a fibrous, coarser band running through it that makes it difficult to render finer bits.

The first photo shows my simple reference freehand drawing and the next photo was the outline cut done with a coping saw.

Sometimes, on larger pieces, I'll use a jigsaw to do the outline cut, but this wood is prone to split and this is a smaller piece, only five inches long, so better to take some extra time and care and do it the old-fashioned way.

The third photo is the completed carving before any finish has been applied.

I used artist's acrylic paints to finish this piece, experimenting with a resist method by covering some of the raw wood with a gloss medium to create naturally lighter areas; beak, body and tail feather tips. Then I washed in some brunt sienna and red in the lower areas and crevices. To further emphasize the deeper lines, I used a little bit of black, then coated the entire piece front and back, with more gloss medium.

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"Eyes of the Buddha"

"Eyes of the Buddha" is my latest woodcarving done as a gift for a friend. I did a variation on the classic image and added contour lines and left some texture from the chisels. All hand tools this time, no dremel or other power tools used. Sealed and painted it with acrylics.

The teardrop between the eyes traditionally represents "the third eye", but I also like to think of it as representing "a diamond in the mind", determination, clear sense of purpose. When my friend looks at it, I hope it helps him find peace and strength.

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The Angel has Landed

I finished "Bernie's Angel" in time for her birthday at the end of March. There were a couple of late nights and the paint was a tad tacky when it went into the gift box, but I got her done.

I learned a lot about woodcarving doing this piece and can see progress in my technique. I chose to paint this piece instead of a simple stain as it fit the subject matter better. I used acrylic washes and some iridescent gold for the halo and silver for the wings.

Here's a shot of Bernie "unboxing" the angel. It was very satisfying to see how happy it made her. It helped remind me how special and meaningful art can be when created with heartfelt intent. We live quite far apart, but this little angel adds another connection and brings some comfort to Bern.

Here is the angel's final home on Bernie's kitchen wall. She fills the empty space where the former terra cotta angel hung before she was knocked down. I always like to see where my art winds up "living". I like to think of the angel looking down on Bernie in the morning when she's fixing her breakfast. I want to make art that is a part of people's life.

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An Angel for Bernie

My mother-in-law, Bernie, had a terra cotta angel from Italy on her kitchen wall. Last year a workman accidentally knock it off and broke it beyond repair. I am going to replace it with a woodcarving designed by my wife (her daughter) and carved by me. A sweet opportunity to collaborate and make Bernie happy!

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The Sacred Heart Woodcarving is Done

I finished the Sacred Heart woodcarving recently and gave it to a friend as a house warming gift. I am pleased with the final result, but think I'll try doing another one sometime as I have ideas for different flourishes and I'd like to make a larger one.

My next project will be an angel for my Mother-in-law to replace a terra-cotte one that was broken last year. I am collaborating with my wife, she's providing the design and I will carve it. Our studio is in a three seasons room off the back of the house and lately it's been too cold to work out there, so I am hoping for a warm up soon.

After that, I am not sure what I will do. One piece at a time.

OK HW

Carving a Sacred Heart Icon

My latest wood carving is the classic "Sacred Heart" icon from the Catholic religion. This symbol has been co-opted into popular culture and has taken on other meanings besides the original as a symbol of Jesus Christ's divine love for humanity, it also represents passion and strong heart. I've always been fond of this image, so grabbed a piece of cedar and got to work. I'm about half way done with the carving part. This is going to be a gift for a friend...

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Exhibition bound - "Big Chief Bad Noodle"

I finished "Big Chief Bad Noodle" with a lick of acrylic paint and a touch of gold leaf; rubbing and distressing the surface to make it look like an artifact.

As a newbie woodcarver, I'm pleased with the results I got from using hand tools and the dremel.  I have a whole stack of cedar to play with and will get rolling on the next piece soon.

This piece was taken from a tiny sketch that I did a long time ago.

 I decided to not try and copy the original design exactly, leaving some room open for randomness. As you see, he was wider through the middle in the sketch and where the "brain" is was just a pattern that doesn't quite work. I also changed to the brain matter when I thought of the name.

"Big Chief Bad Noodle" will be hanging in the "Small Works - Miniatures by Tidewater Artists" at the Charles H, Taylor Center in Hampton, Va. from October 12th until December 1st. Last year I had a drawing in that show, "Edgar Allen Poe VS. The Brain Eating Microbe". I need to get started now on some work for next year's show as I am always procrastinating until the last minute.

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Big Chief Bad Noodle

I am working on a new woodcarving, a small piece that might wind up in a local show if I can finish it by the entry date (some things never change). I'm using a combination of hand tools and a Dremel, playing around with different techniques and seeing what works. For the moment I am calling this piece "Big Chief Bad Noodle", but that could change. I still need to paint him and that could spark another name. I love the smell of fresh sanded Cedar wood.

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