Include or Exclude?

Power carving is unlike working with hand tools because you can remove wood without regard for grain direction or knots.  To me, this is liberating as I can focus on form.

As I work, I constantly ask myself, “Do I want to save this section or obliterate it?  My sculpting approach is to simply remove the parts I don’t like and leave the parts that please me.  I often emphasize form and encourage the sculpture to be caressed by using a combination of hard and soft edges (something I learned from the work of Sam Maloof).

Although I use an angle grinder with a power carving attachment to establish the rough shape, the final shaping is done with abrasives – first on a sander, then in my hand.  The sanding stage is perhaps the most critical stage of sculpting and I spend more time sanding sculptures than I do carving them.

The sculpture shown here is made of Pacific yew with a concrete base.  It will be for sale in my store when I finalize the price.

This is the thirteenth slide from my PechaKucha presentation.