Carved by hand

My technique is called chip-carving: using a thin-bladed knife to remove variously shaped chips of wood. Because the chips have triangular cross-sections, the resulting facets create a pattern of light and shadow characteristic of this kind of carving, and not reproducible by machine. For occasional details I may also use a small gouge (birds’ eyes, berries) or an awl (stippling on flower-heads), but otherwise, I allow the limits of chip-carving technique to guide my design.

Materials

All my work is in basswood, which has been prized by woodcarvers for centuries for its smooth, soft texture.

Frames

Single-panel frames are chip-carved and painted. For polyptychs I use found windows or build custom frames using hand tools with traditional pegged mortise-and-tenon joinery. I consider the frames integral to the work, and finish them accordingly. Paint may evoke a mood or details of the work (red for the ruby throat of a hummingbird, bright green for a spring garden). My six-panel carving of a willow oak is framed in red oak like the wood of the tree depicted, and the grain of the wood accentuated.

Environmental

To the extent possible I use natural finishes and solvents: food-safe milk paint, shellac mixed with 95% ethanol, pure walnut or linseed oil, and beeswax. Hand tools need no electricity, and when I work big, I compost my shavings.