Celebrating Ecuador (and a wedding anniversary)

My wife came to me with a "commission" request ; to carve a first wedding anniversary gift for a good friend and work colleague. I have a lot going on, to be honest, but I haven't taken on any real carving challenges for a while, so I said yes. My wife is a designer of jewelry, so she contributed the design. The first looks were more like jewelry (surprise) and a little detailed for my talents and time allowance. After a few discussions and re-works of her design, we came up with something that satisfied us both. She wanted to combine a few elements of Ecuador, their home country. She requested several native woods that I no access to, but I did look up woods of Ecuador and found mahogany on the list, which I did happen to have on hand. The design incorporates a heart (it is a love spoon after all), Andean Condor wings and the flower, dahlia. I don't think they'll get another anniversary gift quite like this one.

Craft Fairs

I've been trying to do a craft fair per month. It's taking some time to network with fellow crafters and find the best shows in the area. This one, in Huntington, NY, is a good one. I did well this year and last year. The photo shows my current display.

Carving Letters

At 60, most people are starting to think about retiring. I have been away from my primary job as a cabinetmaker for a number of years after a back injury. But I got lucky and found a local shop that doesn't overwork me and kinda lets me do my thing. I love the job because there's always something different and it never gets boring. I got real lucky this time and was handed a job to carve a couple signs for a sailboat. I heard "carved letters" and "mahogany" and said, "oh sure, I can do that." I never have actually, so it's been an adventure, but I think it's turning out quite well. It's somewhat forgiving in that the signs will be painted after I'm finished. Too bad, no one will see the lovely mahogany under the paint and gold leaf. If you think you might like to try carving some letters, here's what I learned after some research and I hope it might help others. Good luck!

Local Press

December has been a good month for in terms of exposure. I have collected quite a bit of wood from fallen trees, courtesy Superstorm Sandy. Since I use this to make objects of beauty and function, this story seems to appeal to people. Here are two, quite different, takes on the story. The Long Islander and Newsday.

A New Home for Me

No, I'm not moving, well not in the real world. But in the internet world I have build a new house. The address ... www.sundaywoodcarver.com. A central hub for my blogging, selling carving, showing W.I.P.s, linking to all my YouTube videos and all else related to my wood carving life was desperately needed. By whom? Well, me. I just wanted to put all the pieces together and be able to put one simple web address on my card and people can find all the rest, if they are so inclined. I read an interesting article by a painter who has been doing craft fairs for 20 years and shared some of her wisdom. Her thoughts on having a web site was: As an artist, you must have a web site. Not that you'll sell more by having it, but people expect it and you seem odd if you don't have one. I set up my new home in one night! That's right, and I'm no web building genius. I used weebly.com. The easiest web builder I've ever used, and I've tried several over the years. If you're looking to set up a web site for your carving work, or anything else, I recommend it. [I'm not affiliated, by the way]. I hope you stop by the new place and poke around. Let me know what you think.

How I Sand My Carvings

 Here is a video showing what I have learned about choosing sanding grits.

Busy as a Beaver

I'm afraid I have become an infrequent blogger. I have been busy. This summer has been for making many, many spoons and discovering the joys of selling them at local craft fairs. I sit there and carve and meet a lot of nice people and even sell a few spoons in the process. One thing that stands out is the connection people seem to make with the woods I use and the stories behind the spoons. It leads me to think that everything I carve should have a story. So this little Beaver does. I have been an active Boy Scout leader for the past 13 years. As much as I enjoy working directly with the youth, I also enjoy training adults. One such leadership opportunity is to be on staff for something called Wood Badge. Once you get involved with Wood Badge you are one of eight "critters" - beaver, antelope, bobwhite, bear, buffalo, owl, fox or eagle. I'm a beaver. Everyone on staff ends up collecting a lot of critters over the years. I don't have many, so I decided to carve my own. Here he is, ready to come with me as I head out to camp for this year's course. enjoy!