The journey of an idea to a carving.

Someone asked me recently about the process that I go through when I carve; where I get my ideas and how I take those ideas from my head and shape them into a carving. There are several methods I use to create my carvings, but it is rare that I will draw a picture on a piece of wood and then carve that exact thing. I prefer to let my imagination and the materials I work with guide me.

Sometimes the grain or shape of the wood leaves an image in my head and I go with that idea from start to finish. However, more often the image that I have in my head at the start of a carving is not what I finish with. It is generally similar, but as I shape the wood, new ideas flow into my head and I run with them.

I think, in the end, that I carve from my head because I can't draw my ideas; I'm just not a very good drawer. Sometimes this is problematic, because with a more complex carving, the detailed planning that is required would really benefit from having an image to work with and refer to. Over time I've come to understand that I can carve many things, and that even a rough drawing on my materials can help me carve the idea that I started with.

This problem of not being able to draw out my ideas has led to an interesting and fun partnership. My wife likes to draw and paint, and her drawings often inspire carving ideas in me. Over the years we have merged our talents in interesting ways, creating some of the materials below: christmas ornaments that she's painted, a chess set that she designed, and much more.



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