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Ricky Smith carved the walnut wall plates for a pair of sconces. Here is a picture of one along with close ups of  the top and bottom.

One of my students, Ricky Smith , made this woodcarving.  It was commissioned for Dr. Joe Saunders on the occasion of his retirement from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Dr. Saunders is noted for his extensive research into the Middle Archaic period   in Louisiana. Ricky carefully researched the period to create his design. The projectile point and a fired earthen block and sphere represent some of the few verified artifacts of the Middle Archaic. Earthen mounds were built by the people of that time and place as well. The resulting carving is a well executed design that I think will intrigue those not familiar with this period in Louisiana and will hold special significance for those that are.

Ricky Smith is one of my talented woodcarving students. He is currently working on a carving of a blacksmith. He provided some photos of his progress and I thought I'd share them with you all. I think these pictures show a nice progression through the rough out stage into starting the detail work. I'm eager to see it continue to develop and hopefully we will have more pictures of the blacksmith to share in the future.

I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. In honor of the occasion, Ricky Smith offered this picture of a Christmas ornament he carved based on a pattern by Joel Hull that appeared in the Fall 2003 issue of Wood Carving Illustrated. The snowman was painted by Claire McGough. Last week we had our annual Christmas party at class. Thanks to everyone that contributed to the great food and company. We even managed to get some work done. I pray that you all have a blessed and happy new year!

Here is a good example of a simple idea that, when executed well, can be quite effective. Ricky came to me with this design and after a good deal of deliberation on everything from design details to finish to framing, here are the results. Well done Ricky.

Thought I would let you all see a Calla Lily relief carving that Ricky did. It is based on a design from "Floral Wood Carving" by Mack Sutter.

Here is a photo of Ricky's finished sign for Jenny Ellerbe Photography. Good work Ricky.

Here is a carving that a student of mine is working on. It will be a sign for Jenny Ellerbe .