Two gnomes ready for paint

I don't usually carve in pairs, but I need to stock up for some upcoming shows. It was interesting because I used basswood from two different sources. Though they look similar, side by side there is a slight color difference. The more grey colored one was slightly harder and seemed a little less prone to chip near details. That was the wood from Heineke Brothers. The slightly paler, softer one was from New Hampshire. I also used slightly different tools for carving each. Honestly, that didn't seem to matter much. They still took the length of time to finish they always take, so no real advantage in doing multiples for this kind of work.

Another Party-loving Gnome

Here's another gnome I made as a custom order for a Parrot head Club in North Carolina. They refer to the club as a group that likes to "party with a purpose". I can only think of one purpose, but maybe there's more. Anyway, this aging party animal is ready to go, with his can of Land Shark beer and "Fins Up!" hat. I really enjoy making these for people. It's so much more rewarding than just carving for the sake of carving, not that I don't enjoy that. The custom work is just a little better.
Painting this is especially fun. I like coming up with the Hawaiian shirts.

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.