The carvings 2

“In wood, figure refers to the appearance of wood, as seen on a longitudinal surface (side-grain).”
“Wood grain describes the alignment, texture and appearance of the wood fibers.”

So says Wikipedia, though I have my own ideas. It is through the grain that life is sustained and in the figure that you see the forces of nature that it has endured during its existence. It is there in the figure I get lost, grain is just something I have to deal with and fill in the end.

Each piece of wood chip is chosen with careful consideration. At times during the search, a piece would come into view. After careful examination I discover that it has been inspected before and tossed back. A few of these make it in to the mix, while others are tossed once again only to be picked up during another break and thrown out of my search area (the smoking area). Yes it is that filthy habit that started all this.

I put a finish coat on the Hawk the other night and have since been struggling with the final photo. It has become quite the challenge to get the right color. It went this rich brown color and hand finished and polished top coat, there is no stain. I did use a brush in the procedure but that was more or less to move the finish to the surface. The goal was to magnify the natural figure and movement of the grain. Once a photo is taken that truely represents what I see, it will be posted.

More later,

Kris