Field Notes of the Carving Kind

Getting desperate???
(photo taken at the Gum Wall in Seattle, WA)

What are you looking for in a carving medium? Simple question, it would seem.

Even if we don't always stop to consider our expectations, they are still there.
They exist as we first run our hand across the surface of the material.
They are in our hands and our minds as we begin creating lines and curves, alternately discarding and retaining the material as we do.
They are present when we ink up and when we stamp down.
Expectations.

So, what am I looking for in a carving medium? I've got a list of answers to my question, and I wrote four pages that would have drowned any hapless reader in my thoughts -- but I slept on it before posting. That was a good thing. Instead of publishing the tome, I have attempted to distill my ideas into one conclusion, and it is this:

I want a carving material that will allow me to improve across time, until I've reached the limits of what I can produce as a carver. When I have reached that point, I want it to be because of my own limited skill, not because of the materials that I use.

Every other expectation, however important, seems to pale when I consider that one core thought.

Recently, I was asked to try three new carving materials (ECO, Smooth-Cut, and Karve Majik) to see how well they performed with my carving needle. Here are my brief thoughts:

1. The Karve Majik had to be abandoned pretty quickly for me. Instead of cleanly slicing the material, my (very sharp) needle pushed the material into tiny, gummy hills which eventually gave to the pressure of the needle with unpredictable results. Very frustrating.

2. Smooth-Cut and ECO, while different in many other respects, were the same in the one way that mattered to me most: Their grainy consistency made it impossible for me to get absolutely smooth cuts with my needle. This doesn't make as big a difference with a large, bold image as it does with a detailed one, and I enjoy the challenge of creating a fairly detailed image.

Here is the bottom line for me: The best images that I could produce with these materials looked like I had carved them two years ago. I'm not the most skilled carver among us, that's for sure -- I don't pretend to be. When I draw conclusions, I'm not comparing my work or my expectations to that of anyone else. I just don't want to be forced back to an earlier level of skill and left there.

Period.

Tying the Celtic Knot, part 2

In an earlier post, I wrote about a special stamp I carved for my sister, who is getting married very soon. I mentioned that I was going to prepare a box to house the stamp, and I thought I'd share the final project with those who are interested:



All done! Ready to deliver to the bride & groom! ;-)

Tying the Celtic Knot

ithout a doubt, we have Irish blood coursing through our veins, along with strong French and Acadian lines, very German genes, many English ancestors, and bits of Dutch, Italian, Micmaw, and Cherokee trickling from over a century ago. My husband jests that I have given “hybrid vigor” to our children. *smile* No banjos playing in my camp!!!

Having said all of that, it is our Irish heritage that has come to the forefront lately. At the close of the summer, one of my “little” sisters plans to be married; and because of our beloved Irish roots and the same of her fiancé, they have chosen to weave that theme throughout their wedding. This is where I come in. ;-)

Knowing my affinity for carving, my sister asked that I carve something that she could use as a theme image for her wedding. No, the request was not as broad as that; she wanted a pair of Celtic cranes like the ones she had seen somewhere . . . oh, help . . .

I finally found a suitable image that had a vintage look and seemed to capture the feel that she sought. It was originally carved or impressed into clay, and I had a difficult time following the Celtic knotting. Over? Under? Over? Under? My eyes literally began to cross as I worked with the image. Finally, I was able to produce something I thought I could carve without inviting disaster.

The result was pleasantly surprising, despite the condition of the original image and the criticism I always heap upon my work. A scanned copy is in her hands, and she is delighted.

Before these little cranes make their way as a gift to the bride and groom, though, I intend to get some mileage out of them. Perhaps a virtual letterbox image as per the new rules. Maybe some LTCs. We’ll see.

When I have had my fun, I’ll encase the stamp in a felt-lined wooden box bearing its image.

Congratulations, you two! We love you both.