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I read an article titled " Drawing Is the Best Way to Learn, Even If You’re No Leonardo Da Vinci ." Design historian D.B. Dowd makes the claim that “We have misfiled the significance of drawing because we see it as a professional skill instead of a personal capacity.” People are so often afraid to draw because they feel that the end result will not meet some artistic standard. Most drawing is not intended to end up framed. It does not need to be intimidating. Some drawing is simply for communication. Some drawing is, as Dowd asserts, for learning. Taking the time to look at something and trying to draw it allows you to understand it better. Even attempting to draw something from your imagination causes you to reflect more deeply. Spending time to think, reflect, and learn makes drawing well worth the while, even if you are not "creating art." Please read the article and let me know what you think. Thank you!

Above is a wedding anniversary cross that I recently completed. It is carved from poplar and finished with a little stain to accent the details. I was asked to make a cross similar to a wedding cross  I made. Below is a photo of that wedding cross.  Here is a picture of this piece once the carving was done and the sanding is in progress. The couple's names along with their wedding date are inscribed on the back using my detail master wood burner. Here we only see the front for privacy. Then the piece is finished with a natural finish and the details are shaded with a light stain.

This wedding cross is carved from mahogany and is approximately 10 inches tall.

This wedding gift cross is carved from poplar and is approximately 10 inches tall. The composition is inspired by the story of the wedding at Cana from the book of John 2:1-11. In the center we have interlocked rings over clasped hands. On the left, are wheat and grapes. On the right are bread and wine. At the top we have Jesus being told by his mother Mary that the wine has run out. On the bottom, we have one of the servants and the chief steward marveling at the wine from the stone water jars.

This piece is carved from basswood, stained for color and mounted on a tree round.  It is approximately 20 inches tall.

This piece is carved from basswood and stained for color. It is approximately 6 inches tall.

I titled this piece "Tom and the River's Daughter." It is inspired by Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, and Old Man Willow from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings novels. It is carved from cottonwood bark and is approximately 14 inches tall.