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Showing posts from September, 2010

Hello

Hello, Thank you Hans for asking me to join your blog. My name is Doug Oliver and like Hans, I'm a semi-professional woodcarver and consider myself an artist. I also have owned my own graphic design business ( http://www.fossildesign.com/ ) since 1996. I first studied classical woodcarving under German master carver Ludwig Kieninger from 1997-2006. Since Ludwig's retirement in 2006, I've been carving with Hans and several other carvers every Wednesday evening in East Dallas. Hans does a wonderful job of teaching us. He has his work cut out with me keeping my tools sharp! :) My website is  http://artbydougoliver.com/  and I try to update that site often. From this site you should be able to get a good feel of the type of things I like to carve. I love the classical! I enjoy the Baroque, Rococo, Renaissance and Gothic periods...you could say I like "OLD WORLD". A recent project was completed at the end of August. Along with Travis Bryant (a furniture builder, ca

Welcome New Contributors

In teaching woodcarving, I have the privilege of working with a really great group of people. I have invited these carvers to participate in this blog. I'll allow those who would like to post to introduce themselves. I look forward to hearing their thoughts and about the projects they are working on.

Why Do You Carve? Part 3: The Creative Process

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This is a continuation of my "Why Do You Carve?" posts. If you have not read " Part 1: Relaxation " or " Part 2: Fellowship ", you can do that now. I'll wait. For many carvers there is a distinct thrill in creating something new from a piece of wood. This is especially true for those who begin with an image in their mind and follow that idea through to a completed original carving. Even those who follow a pattern created by someone else, experience the excitement of seeing a new creation, made by their own hands, emerge from the wood. One of my favorite parts of the process is developing and refining an idea through a series of sketches. I also enjoy seeing the piece develop as I go. Sometimes it takes turns that I did not anticipate, but in the end, it is something new and something good. Do you enjoy the creative process all through your work, or is it a special thrill when the work is completed? What is the most rewarding part of the creative