5 Day Carving Challenge
The idea of challenge myself to carve 5 artworks in 5 days came to me while carving a 6x6 of cactus flowers. I carved that artwork over 3 days leisurely and I thought I would love to create more artworks that size, but I knew I could create one in a day if I scheduled the carving time. I could have easily gone to my sketchbook and pulled out 5 ideas and got to work, but i decided it would be much more fun to find out from my followers what they would like to see. Whenever I ask for ideas the creativity sent to me is always to inspiring.
I work well under pressure, and with new ideas, so I loved doing this challenge like a short term commission. When receiving a commission idea it is a little nerve wracking and exciting trying to take an idea and turn it into an artwork that my client and I love. I cannot put artworks out into the world if I don’t love them or if its something that I don’t want my name on. So taking these 5 ideas I had the time to draw up artworks I love and create plans to make carvings that I was proud of.
Each 6x6 wooden panel was layered with 40 layers of paint and hand carved with wood carving tools. Here are the 5 design challenges I produced:
Cow Skull
Christmas Cholla
Joshua Tree
Coyote
Cactus Wren Feathers
I guess I should have chosen another “C” word and it would have been like the 5 C's of Arizona. If you are not from AZ, then it's a thing. Copper, Cattle, Cotton, Citrus, and Climate (you can also add in Cactus & Canyons).
These will be available in the shop at 6 PM Arizona time on July 9th, 2021.
Cow SKull
The Cow Skull was the first days carving and a great starter for the week because I was so excited for the design. I had planned out each cut and was ready to go. But something I didn’t share on social media is that I had some kind of allergic reaction the night before and my eyes were almost swollen shut. I carve this entire artwork with my face swollen and barely being able to see. I was so prepared and knew what I wanted to create though that it went off without a hitch.
Here is the full reel I made on Instagram which shows clips of the process from beginning to end.
Christmas Cholla
The Christmas Cholla was a little stressful because the night before I got nervous about my design and sat down and re sketched the entire thing. I was much happier with the new sketch and the artwork was so fun to create.
Joshua Tree
This is the first artwork I have ever painted a scene on the top layer. I normally have the top layer as a single color. This carving has two layered in colors and a top painting with a total or 40 layers of acrylic paint.
Coyote
The Coyote is an artwork I am really proud of. I have never carved an animal before this and I don’t think it will be the last. While carving it I was really nervous and thought that it was coming out horribly. It wasn’t until I added final touches to the eyes and nose that I stood back and realized I really loved it.
Accidentally recorded in normal speed for a while but here you can see how slow the process really is.
Cactus Wren Tail Feathers
This was the last and most time intensive artwork of the 5. It has three colors and 40 layers of acrylic paint.
