Handcrafting music ~ by Kristine Raymond

Music has always been a part of life.  You know those scenes in movies where the mom and kids dance around singing their favorite songs?  Yeah, that happened in my house.  The stereo was alive from sunup to sundown and if Mom wasn't playing her vinyl, then the radio was on.  In addition, both my sister and I took piano lessons - she excelled, I barely learned the scales - and I sang in my school chorus from seventh grade through eleventh. 

What intrigued me, though, was my Dad's guitar, mostly because I'd never seen him play it.  It was a basic acoustic instrument, nothing fancy, and sat in a corner of the basement, its strings untouched.  Every once in a while, he'd let me pick it up, my fingers producing a horribly out of tune racket in my attempt to make music.  When I left home to begin my own life, he gave it to me, but I never learned to play and eventually sold it in a yard sale.  (Man, I wish I'd hung onto it - but that's another story.)

Fast forward a a few years.  How lucky was I that the man who became my husband shared my love of music?  Not only that, his fascination with guitars rivaled my own.  It wasn't long before he bought one.  There's just something about having a musical instrument around - any musical instrument - that adds a homey feel.  Kind of like having a fireplace.  But I digress.  
 

Copyright © Kristine Raymond

A second acoustic guitar soon followed the first, then an electric model with an amp.  To date, I think we're up to eight, including a classical guitar.  Or is it nine?  I've lost count.  And there's a mandolin in there somewhere, too.  (Funny thing to note is that I still don't play - we both took lessons a few years ago and, as with the piano, I struggled to learn scales.  I'm definitely less musically-inclined than I'd like to be.)  The hubs, on the other hand, picked it up right away and is quite talented.  He'd play all day long if he could.  

Copyright © Kristine Raymond

Another of his passions is working with wood and, recently, he combined the two.  Cleaning up the yard not too long ago after a storm, he picked up a tree branch and an idea formed.  (Isn't that how it happens?)  Cutting a manageable-sized chunk, he brought it inside and set to work, chiseling and shaping and sanding, then hand-polishing his creation with beeswax and mineral oil to a satiny finish.  

Voilà!  A handmade guitar pick.

Copyright © Kristine Raymond

Not only are his picks beautiful, they're functional, and produce a lovely tone when stroked against an instrument's strings.  He's been experimenting with different varieties of wood - the ones in the pic below are made from black locust.  (Check out the one shaped like an arrowhead.) 

Copyright © Kristine Raymond

There's nothing better than tapping into your source of creativity and letting it take you places you never imagined.  In my case, it's crafting new worlds with words.  In my hubs' case, it's crafting music with wood.

Note - if you're interested in owning one, please contact me for pricing.

A Most Ancient Skill – Not what you think (Acanthus Part 2) By Ralph Duncan

In our previous discussion of the Acanthus, we explored the origin of the use of the leaf in carvings and ornaments and its cultural adaptations and interpretations. We noted that the different characterizations of the acanthus were largely a result of variances in culture. However, it could also be argued that the tools available at any given time in history played as large, or even larger role in how the Acanthus was interpreted. 

While the precise timeline of carving tools is somewhat a mystery, we can see at least a preference in tools by the carving itself. When speaking specifically of ancient wood carvings (around 400-500 bc) we see mostly flat surfaces and flat-edged carvings. The picture below is a copy of one I produced in my shop. Visible are the surfaces of the leaves all at one level and are rendered by incising flat planes with knives only. 

The knives I have in my shop, are fundamentally the same tools that have been used for centuries to produce very elaborate carvings. 

While we do not know when curved and rounded carving gouges appeared on the stage, we do see very delicate carvings appearing around the 14th century. In many cases, these carvings still exist and are regarded as some of the most beautiful and sophisticated carvings in history. It is clear that the production of these carvings included the addition of tools other than straight knives.  

Tools began to be manufactured, by family-run companies that are still in existence today. Companies have designed and produced hundreds of variants on the carving gouge. Some of the same tools that my ancestors used are still in existence today. Many examples I have in my shop.

While these tools did gain popularity, the master carver did not give up his knife. We see many carvings appearing that showed both signs of marks created by knives as well as curved gouges. Look at the “curly” carved pattern in this picture. Several cuts were likely made with the knife, while still others have curved and beveled surfaces that could only be made successfully with a gouge. 

As we look back at one of our acanthus examples, the impact of the development of sophisticated shapes and curved tools foster carvings with sweeping curves and delicate forms. 

The pursuit of wood carving is an endeavor from which there is no graduation. It is a constant and humbling challenge to produce, or reproduce, a quality piece in the same manner as the expert craftsmen of centuries gone by.

Visit Ralph's page to read his past posts. 

There you can also view some of his artwork.

Acanthus (Part 1)~ By Ralph Duncan

If you were an herbalist, you probably would refer to this spiny ground crawling plant (looks like a thistle to me) as Bear’s Breeches. Some references say the name was derived from the plant’s resemblance to a bear claw. It is rather thorny, in fact, that is pretty much the translation of the Latin form of the Greek name, akanthos. Your herbalist bent would drive you to prescribe this plant for muscle and joint ache.

Haven’t tried that, but maybe I should.

That might just be enough prestige for one plant, but, not this guy. Truth is, the Acanthus is an ancient plant whose lore and the image has endured throughout history. Most agree that it originated in the Mediterranean. Reportedly first adapted for design by the sculptor Callimachus, somewhere around the ancient city of Corinth. We can still see the results of his influence and the Acanthus on Corinthian columns today.

Wow, great medicinal value and still seen today atop the great pillars of antiquity. But even that is not the end of the story. This little plant has somehow, beyond my comprehension, has managed to endear itself to architects, carvers and sculptors, furniture makers and even the American cowboy. 

Nearly every civilization on the European continent has adapted this leaf to classic designs and ornaments. From the Greek, the Romans, the French, and the British to the Norwegians. All have their own interpretations. Some show a rather traditional looking leafy plant, other variants are characterized by long sweeping curves, and still, others are very baroque in their form with round tight curves and lots of undercutting.

The composite picture shows four different applications of the Acanthus in three different interpretations. The original Corinthian, here shown at an early stage of carving, two different applications of the Norwegian, more baroque version and a version I usually attribute to the British.

In the US the Acanthus has become a favorite and even a standard among artisans. We see it on traditional furniture and as an ornament on fixtures such as mirror and picture frames, architectural friezes, jewelry and more.

It has become standard for traditionally trained woodcarvers to spend years developing and perfecting the acanthus form. Carvers are taught, not only its history and tradition, but its structure as well, breaking down each leaf and the “proper” appearance of each curve and sweep of each component of this leaf.

In subsequent posts, I will explore some specific applications and histories of the Acanthus. In the meantime, take a look around and see if you can spot one. Maybe it is on your Bible.

Photographer unknown

MY CARVING CORNER~By Ralph Duncan

There is something I love about shaping wood. I am not sure if it is the organic nature of a once living thing or just the texture and the tactile feedback through the touch of my fingertips.  
But, I love it and I love carving wood. 

Woodcarving was one of my first endeavors in making art-somewhere around the year 2000. It took a while to get the hang of handling the tools, especially the sharpening part. Oh yeah, I did go through lots of band-aids as well.

But, eventually, through copying pieces and watching others and lots of practice, I began to make some pieces I was fairly happy with. Sometimes they turned into a Santa or perhaps a shelf mouse that still looks over my shoulder when I am in the shop.  

Sometimes, it will be a hand carved and painted cedar sign. 

After a lot of copying and drawing practice, I started designing my own characters, like Spencer the rabbit here. Spencer is an anthropomorphized rabbit that made his way as an idea into my head and onto a sketch. After some refinement, he was transferred to two sides of a block of wood, and of course eventually a final carving “in the round.”

Eventually, carving details started appearing on a few small pieces of furniture I designed and built. This small mirror sold at a local art gallery.  

Another piece was this hall hull model of a classic tall ship. This hand-carved piece started out life as the detailed drawing of the ship’s hull shape, called “lines.”

Since around 1790, shipwrights and naval architects have been sculpting half hull models for the purpose of designing and visualizing new boat hull designs.  Somewhat sadly, these days hulls can be generated and modified in the blink of an eye through the magic of computer modeling. Today, the practice of “building” half hulls has been relegated more to creating a souvenir of a favorite boat, much like a painting. But, for some, like me, it is an opportunity to bring back to life (without building the whole boat) some of the old classics. With access to the ship’s lines, the famous schooner AMERICA can be proudly displayed for all to enjoy. 

When an artist, artisan, or craftsman creates a painting or object with his own hands, there is at that moment a direct and immediate connection between the touch of the object to his hands and this mind and heart. At the moment of creation, all that is that artist, all that is his environment, his passions and even the music he is listening to, is reflected in that piece. For this reason, each piece, though it may be similar to another, is unique unto its own.


It is my hope that when you pick up a piece of original art of any medium, you begin to feel some sense of the artist at the time the piece was created.  If you take home one of my carvings, I hope you will pick it up often, feel it in your hands – the facets, the texture, the weight – and each time you discover something new about your feelings for that piece.