| woodcarvings |
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| This was my first Love Spoon, done when I was just starting to learn to carve. I tried to make the back as interesting as the front. It is of Butternut wood, and made from a blank supplied at a meeting of the Central Texas Woodcarvers Association. 1996. 8" |
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| Rattlesnake Love Spoon- kind of an oxymoron- but I liked the way it fit the basic form, and on our ranch we have killed quite a few rattlers. I gave it to our daughter, Rebecca, to remind her of the bittersweet qualities of love. Butternut. 8" |
| This Wolf and 3 Cubs was started in a Desiree Hajni class at Woodcraft in Austin, TX. She is a great teacher. 6" 1999 |
| This Manta Ray on Coral with Shells is made of mahogany. It won a Blue Ribbon at the Texas Woodcarvers Guild juried competition; and it won second place a the International Woodcarver's Conference in 2001. It is now in the collection of Mr. Michael LaChance in Connecticut. 11" There are three different pieces of mahogany used for each of the three sections and they have three different colors. |
| The Miniature Schnauzer is only 3" tall and long. She was started in a class with Wayne Jarvis with the TWG. Walnut base, 2001 |
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| WOODWORKS-BY-DONNA |
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| This trout, in butternut, was started in a class, but finished at home. The base is also butternut and connected to the fish with a 1/4" brass rod. I gave this to my father who was an avid fisherman when he was younger. He used to take me fishing with him and we always started by finding big ol' juicy worms for bait. What fun! |
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| Mouse on a Leaf was started in a class with Gina Sprowl and finished at home. It was a beginner project, but I kinda got carried away and made it a bit more complex. It was carved from a basswood goose egg. The teacher had one carved out of a basswood hen egg, so that will be my next challenge. 2005 |
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| Chipmunk on Leaves was completed in April, 2006. It was inspired by the Mouse on a Leaf, but I wanted to make it my own design. I will be teaching other carvers how to make a similar carving, and the same design will be used for an article for Carving magazine. I'm real proud of this carving. |
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| The photo with two mice shows the difference in size between a duck egg and a hen egg-sized mouse on a leaf. Challenge accepted! |
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| This chipmunk is a variation on the mouse on a leaf carving. This one is much easier to carve because of the way it is designed. I will be teaching how to carve this piece now and then. There was also an article in Carving Magazine detailing how to make this carving in June 2007. 2006 |
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| This project is part of a nationwide carvers' community project to thank our injured veterans. I was proud to see one of our canes being carried and displayed by a veteran during the President's State of the Union Address on 1-28-08 on television. It is nice to be able to do something, however small, to say "thank you" to our wounded soldiers. 2007 |
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| "Peeking Mouse on Cheese" is my latest version of this cute little mouse. It came about when a customer requested a mouse for her good friend's birthday present. We debated about how to mount it and decided on purpleheart for the base because the friend likes purple. Figured maple was my choice for the cheese. At first I didn't want to make the holes in the cheese, but then decided that having that bit of purple showing through would add to the composition- so holes it was. It was a pleasant surprise to me how the pink in the ears picks up the purple of the base in a very symbiotic way. Don't you just love happy accidents! (Sssh, Donna, don't tell them and they will think you planned it that way.) 2008 |