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.
I see a lot of different things in this. I am not one all that interested in abstract objects, but this one is intriguing.