​Most people have never seen a bird carving.   First time viewers often express surprise that lifelike birds can be fashioned from hunks of wood and then . . . they move in for a close view of the details of the bird and its habitat.  It happened while I was setting up an exhibit of fifteen carvings at a local senior citizen community in February 2020.  Every person who happened by during the set up stopped to look.   Several said “You made those birds!  Really?” and then the questions started.  What kind of wood do you use?  Paint?  How do ..read more

The miniature meadowlark in this post was painted almost entirely with mixes of yellow and purple.  The only exceptions are the green flower stems, the white of the face, and a bit of black in the darkest yellow-purple mix. ​The color theory learned in the Lori Corbett class mentioned in my December 2017 post, enabled me to create my own color scheme for the meadowlark, flowers, and post. It was so much more satisfying than depending on recommendations from books, magazines, and instructors.  I knew my mixes would be harmonious so I ..read more

A color theory exercise ready to submit for critiquing. Reading about color theory, attending workshops, observing the work of other artists have helped me understand how to use paint to add more life to my carvings.  In spite of steady progress, I have long felt that I have lots of disconnected pieces of knowledge floating in my head with no clue as to how to connect them. Finally!  The pieces are coming together through an online color theory course taught by Lori Corbett, the author of Carving Award-Winning Songbirds:  An Encyclopedia of Carving, Sculpting, and Painting Techniques ..read more

Common Loon ​I took an enormous risk  when painting the loon pictured on the left.  My goal was to show the difference in head versus body color.  Instead of the common practice of applying iridescent powder at the end of painting a common loon, I applied a base coat of phthalo green - an extremely strong color.  Most carvers would say I was nuts. My plan was to create different colors by covering the green with black as I added layers of black on the body.  The green was too strong after several coats and I thought I'd ruined th ..read more

My first carving teacher, Maria LaGoy, told me sketching birds - even if my sketches were terrible -  would improve my carving because I would learn to see details. While sketching, I've noticed details that might otherwise slip by unseen. For example, while sketching a greater yellowlegs the bird vomited! Not the most useful information in the world, but if a child ever asks me whether birds throw up I can answer YES with conviction! I made a more helpful observation while sketching harlequin ducks feeding in the ocean off Rockport, Massachusetts on a sunny winter day. While a duck was acti ..read more

The stump and fungus for mounting this white-throated sparrow were fashioned from a 4x4x6 block of tupelo.  The flowers were created from brass using a technique I learned from Jerry Painter.  Circles are cut one-at-a-time by inserting a sheet of brass into a slot in the cutting block then driving the metal cylinder through the brass with a hammer.  Each circle is shaped into petal with scissors then rounded with the spherical end of a glass cutter.  A stem is soldered to each before painting. Cutting circles for thi ..read more

Janice's bird carvings will be part of a three-artist exhibition in January 2017 in the Hosmer Gallery at Forbes Library, Northampton, Massachusetts.  An artist reception will occur on January 14 from 1:00-4:00. Click here for information about the artists and gallery times ..read more

I recently began adding a personal stamp to the signature on my carvings.  My stamp, which I commissioned on a recent trip to China, is similar to red name stamps used for centuries by Chinese artists to guarantee the authenticity of their work.  My name does not translate into three characters, the norm in Chinese stamps, so below my capitalized last name written in English are three characters that symbolize what carving means for me.  The first character, 詹, stands for the surname Zhan which is pronounced much like the first s ..read more

Fledgling Chickadees In a carving seminar in which the instructor pushed students to use an airbrush, a classmate judged my resistance to learn the technique as fear.  “I’m not afraid.  I’ve tried it and it takes me out of the creative process,” I responded.   He persisted in pressuring me and insisted a carving can look soft only if painted with an airbrush.  I told my classmate that Bob Guge created life-like softness with a paint brush.  “You’re no Bob Guge,” he said with a demeaning, critical tone.   I will never paint with the softness of Bob Guge, but he inspired me to try.  My goa ..read more

A mother, father, and their seven-year old son Ryan accepted the invitation  to observe wood carving classes held in Lake Placid, New York last month.   Ryan proclaimed "I want to carve a loon" when he entered a room filled with carvers fashioning common loons.  I responded by saying he's a bit young to try, but someone in a carving club near his home might be willing to teach him.  His parents chatted with our teacher, Butch Clark, as they investigated the work of each student.  Ryan chatted with me.  I asked if he really wanted to carve a loon.  Ryan said, "Yes. I love loons. I love to dra ..read more