Creating a sculpture

Sculpting is my favorite way to work with wood. At times it is very meditative, and at other times, very intense. I never start sculpting with a defined shape in mind. Often, what I end up with, is totally different than what I thought the piece of wood had in it. Usually, I will study the piece for long periods of time before I decide to start sculpting it. I love curved shapes rather than sharp edges. I believe that it shows off the wood grain beautifully. There are times when the shape and species of the wood is so beautiful that all I do is clean it up and do minimal carving on it. All my sculptures are sanded to a glass smooth surface. I then hand rub the finish to protect the wood and bring out the beauty of the colors and the grain.