Category Archives: finding wood

Otis Tomas and The Fiddletree

Maybe art is not a quest to conquer the secrets of perfection, but rather it is the revelation of that which is personal and unique, and which defies the very concept of perfection. This old tree has its own story … Continue reading

Posted in books, finding wood, publications, quotes and excerpts, trees, Uncategorized | 17 Comments

Into the Woods Exhibition

The lag since my last post along with the reports of Ida rains drenching Pennsylvania led some folks to kindly email me to see if all was well. The upper edge of Ida’s swath fell short of us here in … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, bowls, events, finding wood, Lettering, nature, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Odd Birds (and Other Winged Things)

At first glance, this rhododendron bird bowl seems typical of other bird bowls I’ve carved, but this one was an experiment in working with crotch wood. As usual, I learned from it. There’s the huge rhododendron Y above. The area … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, finding wood, nature, trees, Uncategorized | 13 Comments

Bird Bowl from Straight Grain

Most of the bird bowls I make come from crooks, with the form following the flow of the fibers. In designing and making this bowl, I tried to achieve similar lines and a sense of movement within the constraints of … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, figure, finding wood, layout, patterns, quotes and excerpts, sketch, tools, trees, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Small Side Panel Cherry Bowl

A few days ago I finished this cherry bowl for a local fundraiser. It features a relatively narrow side panel below the edge of the rim that makes an ideal spot for some chip carving. I took a few shots … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, carving, cherry, finding wood, holding, layout, patterns, sketch, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 25 Comments

Carving American Chestnut

The solstice may still be a couple weeks away, but the first day of summer for me was yesterday. I celebrated by digging in to a special log. American chestnut. Big, green, American chestnut. I carved some chestnut a few … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, finding wood, historical reference, layout, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 23 Comments

Spring Birds

Suddenly the sun is there on the horizon and the wait is over. Every bird in every tree begins to sing. The earlier chorus was only a preliminary. This is the main event. The birds sing as though it were … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, finding wood, nature, publications, quotes and excerpts, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Spoons with Beaks

This year, the arrival of spring weather seems perfectly synchronized with the calendar. I’ve got lots of projects to do, but with the sun is shining and that mourning dove calling to its mate from the maple tree, I get … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, carving, finding wood, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Elia’s Class Complete

Last Saturday, Elia Bizzarri and I finished up our live online bowl carving class with the third session, resulting in over 9 hours of bowl carving instruction. The sessions follow the process, step-by-step from a half log. My resulting sample … Continue reading

Posted in classes, finding wood, teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Follow the Bent

I was not anchored to a house or farm, but could follow the bent of my genius, which is a very crooked one, every moment. Henry David Thoreau, Walden I can’t seem to locate my genius, but I have been … Continue reading

Posted in finding wood, green woodworking, quotes and excerpts, spoons, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 7 Comments