Posts

Ian Norbury's Website Redesign and Blog

I recently became aware that Ian Norbury's website underwent a redesign. This was an opportunity to see some of his more recent carving. If you are not familiar with the talent of Ian Norbury, you should have a look at his site. While looking at Ian's site, I found out that he has a blog at http://inorbury.blogspot.com . On his blog, he provides some great insights into the process of creating his unique carving. Check out post such as this post or this one .

Carved Alter at St. Martin's Luthern Church in Austin

Doug Oliver sent along this link to a site with some beautiful carvings from St. Martin's in Austin that he came across while doing research. http://issuu.com/ stmartinsaustin/docs/final_ art_book?mode=embed&layout= http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com% 2Fv%2Fdark%2Flayout.xml& showFlipBtn=true Have a look and let me know what you think.

Miniature Pencil Tip Sculptures By Dalton Ghetti

A fellow carver sent me a link to these miniature pencil tip sculptures by Dalton Ghetti. You can see some of additional photos of his work from an exhibition at the Silvermine Guild Arts Center. Have a look and let me know what you think.

Ultra High Resolution Images of Masterpieces from the Uffizi Gallery

The folks at http://www.haltadefinizione.com/  have scanned masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Botticelli and others at incredibly high resolutions. You can zoom in to see the finest details of the brush strokes. You can even see any cracks that may have appeared in the paint. This is likely more detail than you would be able to see in person without magnification. I think we can learn a lot from studying the works of past masters. Have a look and let me know what you think.

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