TexasWoodcarving.com

Basswood carving of a big cat imagined as an ancestor of modern jaguars. Approximately 8" tall finished with a water based stain and wax.

Approximately 34" wide. Basswood. Water based stains and wax. This carving depicts events and themes surrounding the annunciation narrative from the gospel of Luke. The center panel depicts the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary. On either side of this are John the Baptist proclaiming the coming of the Messiah and St. Joseph in his carpenter's shop. The far left and far right panels depict the messianic prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah. In designing this piece, I incorporated a number of references to historical christian iconography. In the central panel, Mary is found kneeling on a prayer kneeler indicating her prayerful refection on the word. The kneeler is decorated with a lily which is a symbol of purity. Behind Mary are a pitcher and basin of water that also are used to signify purity. The angel Gabriel appears with one hand gesturing towards Mary and with his other hand he holds up two fingers indicating the human and divine nature of the child to be born. The walls

" Creativity, Happiness and Your Own Two Hands " is an article on the Psychology Today site that discusses how purposeful hand use enhances well-being in a technologically saturated culture. It reminded me of this carving by Travis Bryant. Hopefully you are experiencing the benefits of making things with your hands. If you would like to learn about wood carving, please let me know.

I often get questions about my carving arm and where to get one. I do not remember the source of mine, but I have found that The Woodcraft Shop has a  laminated oak carving arm  for sale. If you are interested in making your own, Woodcarving Illustrated has a Building a Carving Arm article on their site. The article includes detailed plans. A secure way to hold your work as you carve is key to personal safety. Are you using a carving arm or something similar?

Here is the problem - a lot of trees are cut down in cities to make way for residential and commercial construction. I'm not going into the pros and cons of the new and remodel development market. However, the fact is that a number of well established trees are cut down to make way for it. This is where someone like Kyle Alty comes in. Kyle describes himself as an "Urban Lumberjack." Unlike a traditional lumberjack that may cultivate trees to cut down, Kyle finds those trees that are either already down or coming down to make way for construction. He is saving some beautiful wood for the creation of fine furniture and works of art. If you are looking for some beautiful wood with local heritage, I hope you will connect with an urban lumberjack like Kyle. You can visit his website at www.chasinthegrain.com .  If you know other urban lumberjacks, please let us know. Below are some sample of the wood Kyle has recovered. They are labeled with a hash tag that starts wit

I made a Judo cherry blossom relief for a black belt and referee/judge. It is carved out of basswood. It is sealed and glazed (shaded) with a water based stain. Let me know what you think.

Even though I completed the  Corporal Works of Mercy Relief a couple of years ago, I realized I had not yet posted the finished piece on the blog. In addition to posting it here, there is also a page  for the Corporal Works of Mercy Relief on the www.TexasWoodcarving.com site with a link to a study guide document I wrote to accompany the carving.