TexasWoodcarving.com

  A crucifix carved for a couples new home. It is carved in basswood with a poplar cross. The cross is approximately 20 inches tall.      

  This is a design sketch for a Christus Rex processional cross.   The design is inspired by a carving made by Ludwig Kieninger . The proposal is to carve the corpus about 15 inch tall from basswood and finish with a color and technique similar to this carving:

  Eagle head relief carved in basswood. It is approximately 3.5 x 4 inches with English oak stain added for shading. A small brass plaque was added just below the eagle to commemorate a distinguished career. This was then presented as a retirement gift.

I added photos of the individual panels of the Annunciation carving. You can see the new photos by following this link . Once there, you can click on the photos to see them enlarged. Let me know if you like having these additional detail photos.

Here is an old photo of a carving I made as a teenager studying with master woodcarver  Ludwig Kieninger . It was based on a carving Ludwig made and one can certainly see his influence. For me, it brings back memories and reminds me of how my work developed over time.

Last weekend was the 2019 North Texas Woodcarving Guild Spring show at the Grapevine Convention Center. Attendance was up this year and there were many great works on display. I enjoy encouraging carvers and spreading interest in the art form. I spent most of the time answering questions about carving and providing some impromptu instruction. The side effect of so much activity is that I did not get many photos of all there was to see. One photo I did get was of Jody Webb's table with the three first place ribbons he won. Congratulations Jody! If you made it to the show, I'd love to hear your thoughts. If you did not make it, I hope to see you there next year.

Announcing the 2019 North Texas Woodcarving Guild Spring show. The following is from the show flyer: Woodcarving Show The premier woodcarving event in North Texas! Sponsored by the North Texas Woodcarving Guild When : Sat, Mar. 2, 2019, 10 AM — 5 PM Sun, Mar. 3, 10 AM — 4 PM Where : Grapevine Convention Center 1209 South Main St. Grapevine, TX 76051 Over 50 artisans show their creations and compete in over 30 categories. Items for sale include: Carvings, Tools, Wood, rough outs, etc. The show will include: Raffles, Silent Auction, Whittling Competition. Open to the public. Entry fee $5.00. Children under 13 free accompanied by and adult. If you are interested in participating in the carving competition please see our website for the rules, carving categories and how the carvings are judged.   https://www.ntxcarvers.com The show will feature various carving techniques, such as: Relief carving, Caricature carving, Spoon carving, Pyrography, Gourd carving, S

This was a commission for a plaque featuring a verse from the letter of Paul to the Romans (Romans 12:1). It started with a design laid out on the computer using the Inkscape application. This design file was then used to engrave the image on a piece of poplar with a laser engraver. Then the wood was cut to size and the border carved. I sealed the carving with four coats of Enduro-Var water based urethane. After that, I used a Shaker Maple stain to accent the lettering and corner designs. I hope you enjoyed this summary of what went into making this piece. Please let me know if you have any questions about the process.

The Art Institute of Chicago has scanned and put over 50,000 high resolution images of the art in their collection online. To make it even better, they have released these images under a license that puts them in the public domain. There is a search page for the collection that also include filters for such things as artist, date range, medium, etc. It is great that they provided images with this level of detail. Here are just a few examples: The Death of the Virgin Flight from Pompeii Server You can see the cross hatch patterns in  Abraham Francen, Apothecary by Rembrandt van Rijn You can even see the individual dot of paint in Georges Seurat’s  A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884 .

Here is a photo of the coat of arms for the Highlands School in Irving, Texas. I carved this from poplar and painted it with acrylic and gilt paint. It now hangs over the entrance to one of the school wings. The shield is approximately 3 feet tall. "Semper Altius" on the scroll is latin for "Always Higher".

Pictured is a wood carving of St. Michael the Archangel that I made. It is carved it in relief from basswood and mounted in an oval frame. The design is based on traditional iconography and the description of the angel Michael in the book of Revelation. "And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels: And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduceth the whole world; and he was cast unto the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying: Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: because the accuser of our brethren is cast forth, who accused them before our God day and night." (Revelation 12:7-10)

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.

A nativity scene with stylized lines. The standing figures are approximately 8 inches tall and carved from basswood.

St. Ignatius of Loyola inspired by a statue in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Approximately 10 inches tall. This is one of a series of St. Ignatius statues. More posts from the blog about these pieces can be found here . Here is a photo of the statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola in St. Peter's Basilica.