Category Archives: trees

Maple Spoons

Like many places, we have a lot of maple trees around here. Such wonderful trees for shade, syrup, or playing with the samaras, or “propellors.” And the wood is ideal for spoons. I seemed to be on a lucky roll … Continue reading

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Koa Bowl

The wood for most of what I make comes from trees that grow within a few miles of my house, which is more than enough to make me happy. I’m fortunate to live in an area with so many diverse … Continue reading

Posted in axe, bowls, carving, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged | 12 Comments

Tulip Tree Flowers

Hardly too much attention can be bestowed on flowers…Flowers were made to be seen, not overlooked. Henry David Thoreau, Journal, 15 June 1852 My son, Noah, and I got out to the river together for a couple hours of trout … Continue reading

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Summer’s Calling

We just had our first full week of summer-like weather, and it had me outside working and preparing some material for some of the projects I’m looking forward to. Some of them are in that willow basket waiting for the … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, finding wood, layout, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Phil’s Julfågel

Last Christmas, Phil Teeter sent me some cheer in the form of these delightful carvings. Phil explained that they are Julfågel (Swedish for Christmas Bird), “very rare and shy — they appear at Christmas and bring good fortune.” Phil has … Continue reading

Posted in carving, green woodworking, paint, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 4 Comments

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

Carving American Chestnut 4: Two Finished Bowls

Here are the two bowls I made from the American Chestnut I started with in a post in June. The one on the left is the one I highlighted through the series of posts, so I’ll start with a few … Continue reading

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Make a Book Box

A few years ago, I made a shrink pot for my daughter in the the form of a book (photo below). I think I had first seen an example made by Jögge Sundqvist. It is simply a shrink pot with … Continue reading

Posted in books, Lettering, quotes and excerpts, shrink box, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 26 Comments