The center focus of the Railroader with Lantern is the lantern.  Of course, our eyes see the railroader’s face, his cap, his bandana hanging out a back pocket, but it is the light of the lantern that is held high to capture center stage.   Carving the Railroader holding his lantern has always been a fun project for this old carver.  When I began carving in the mid 1970’s there were very few books, magazines, seminars, shows and of course no YouTube videos. In the few books available it was noticed that some projects, for example a hillbilly carrying a rifle in one hand and a ..read more

The first Cy Clone was carved in 2011 that was followed by carving the “Cloning of Cy” with stairstep clones from six inches tall down to miniature. Cy Clone is actually a variation of a nick name often given to a person who is quiet, never gets in a hurry, never excited and in a contemplative thoughtful appearance.  Nick names are often given in direct opposite to the characteristic of the person receiving the nick name as in nick naming a heavy-set man by calling him “Tiny.” The chief characteristics of Cy Clone is his relaxed contemplative posture and his hands laced together behind h ..read more

The Old Carver’s Knife Law:” One knife is dandy; two knives are handy and three knives are never enough.” The Wood Bee Carver is primarily a knife carver who carves most carving projects using only knives to carve in a style called Whittle-Carving.  Thus, the essential element in any carving is the “knife” as the instigator of the project guided by creative imagination nurtured in a skill continually being developed in the process of carving.  It becomes second nature then to occasionally return to the making of Other Knives as a sideline activity of the carving process. The latest ..read more

The CLOWN tells the story without words using posture, facial expression, costume, props and elaborate gestures to tell the story in pantomime. One of the goals of wood carving is to create a visual pantomime carved in wood in which the carving tells a story without words. This carving of a clown holding a balloon and a feather is telling a story of a duel between the balloon and feather as to which one is the lightest.  It is a silly story leaving the clown having a puzzled look on his face for not being able to figure out which one is lighter than the other. Over twenty years ago the W ..read more

  This fireman is a “second time around” of carving a second fireman of similar design to the first Firehouse 3 Fireman. Every carving project is a practice piece. It has been said over and over again until it has become an adage of instruction, “Practice makes perfect.” However, seldom does practice actually creates perfection.  The more correct result is “PRACTICE MAKES PROGRESS.” The only way a person learns to carve is to carve and the more a person carves the better one carves ~ in other words, MAKES PROGRESS.  It is from personal experience that the Wood Bee Carver has oft ..read more

“Firehouse 3” is a first attempt at carving a fireman figure.  The beginning process is to imagine what a fireman looks like along with studying various images of carved firemen to come up with a preliminary design for a carving. The imaginary image includes the fireman’s helmet, bulky and heavy water-resistant coat and trousers along with heavy boots. Next would come equipment such as an axe, fire hose, megaphone, fire hydrant and ladder.  Next comes the refining of all these elements into the simplest depiction that would say “this is a fireman.” The fireman’s helmet crowns the ca ..read more

The Wood Bee Carver is primarily a “knife carver” who carves from a “Block” with corners and chooses to shape the wood with a “Slice into position and Design by carving.” Process. The carving process begins with a block of basswood awaiting to have its square corners rounded and then round surfaces flattened into the contours of the imagined shape.  Slicing off the four corners to shape the top of the block into a dowel shape is to prepare an area for the head covering and the head. As the head area is reaching an optional size the corners of the block in which the body will be exposed ..read more

Introducing Goose who is the older and more mature Hobo when compared with his partner of the road Moose. Moose and Goose represents the long and storied history of  the travelers in the nostalgic memory of the time long gone by never forgotten. Following the American Civil War there was an expansion of population migrating to the West coast and places in between.  Railroads were being built, homesteads being settled, forests harvested for lumber, mines developed, bridges, factories, stores and industry were on the cusps of bringing in a new age.  A good part of this expansion ..read more

                        The Pirate First Mate is carved in the Half Pint size of three inches tall with a one inch square base. The First Mate is wearing a bandana head wrap rather than the officer’s hat even though he is wearing an officer’s coat captured as a spoil of a sea battle. Half Pint carved figures refer to the use of a half inch equals a foot scale to keep a carving in perspective with the average heights of a male figure as being six feet. Most of the Whittle-Carved f ..read more

HALF PINT carving figures refers to the use of a half inch equals a foot scale to keep a carving in perspective with the average heights of a male figure as being six feet. Most of the Whittle-Carved figures carved by the Wood Bee Carver are carved out of a block of basswood six inches tall and an inch and half square or two inch square.  Thus, when carving a Half Pint, the basswood block is three inches tall by an inch square.  The Half Pint figure tends to be squatted and compressed when compared with a six inch tall figure. Below is a comparison photo between a six inch pirate an ..read more