The Wooden Man

Been a long time since I posted. I have been working on stuff but this time of year is so busy I never get around to posting. I will try to update all the backlog stuff after the holidays.

I’ve been wanting to carve wooden people for a long time. I was particularly inspired after visiting the African section in the Met during our NY trip this past May. My wife – being the thoughtful, intuitive person she is – got me a killer set of wood carving tools for Father’s Day which have been sitting on my shelf ever since. So last Monday I set the goal of going into my studio and turning out a finished product in one night. My only objective was *not* to get swept away in some grand vision or overly complicated learning process. I was just gonna carve me some wood and have some fun. It turns out I like shutting off my brain and just whittling!

I started with a sketch I had made a few months ago that was inspired by the welcome sign in Mr. Cecil’s Ribs on Pico Blvd. (I love that place) and here’s the whole process…