Spoons

Ten spoons in black walnut, osage orange and soft maple. Carved in the past month under a mulberry tree with axe and knife.

Soft maple, osage orange, and walnut.

Osage orange.

Roman “V” signograph.

Thomas: New Characters

Here is the Thomas panel in it’s present state, and a detail of three new characters to the left of Jesus and Thomas.

From left, bearded disciple (not sure who), John, and Mary Magdalene.

Ash and Walnut Headboards

Working out the first of a series of headboards in ash and walnut.

What relationships work?

Fitting the scribed pieces.

Possible locations for butterflies.

Detail of scribed “joint”.

Thomas Panel Update

Below are three details from the Panel of Thomas touching Jesus’ wounds, with the disciples gathered. The panel is 54″ x 32″.

A large group of figures making up the right half of the composition.

Thomas and Jesus.

Peter.

The working drawing.

Walnut Long-Table, and Framed Print of Job

Below are some views of the walnut long-table as well as a colored print of “Go On, Job, Bread and Water” framed in walnut for my friend.

Walnut Long Table

The following are a series of photos of the construction of what I have chosen to call a “walnut long table”, featuring a large center cut black walnut slab about 2″ thick from Fall River, KS. The legs are also black walnut from Boaz, KS.

Butterfly sockets along the seasoning check.

Removing material for a large sliding dovetail and dado for the cross brace.

Sawing the slope inside of the dovetail-dado (dovetail bit in router not deep enough).

Legs.

Fitting the legs. Lower right is a view of the end of the sliding-dovetail on the brace.

Settled on steel bolts over mating the legs to the brace with another sliding dovetail.

View from the “South” end of the table.

From the “North”.

Studio Easel

Below is a series of photos of a new counterbalanced studio easel in quarter-sawn red oak, white oak and black walnut. The two cooperative disciplines of painting and woodworking meet in a special way.

The easel consists of a base, a frame which tilts forward and back, and a counter-balanced carriage which holds the painting and slides up and down on the frame.

Some of the carvings on various parts of the easel.

The base and frame in the shop. Primary joinery is mortise and tenon for all of the components.

The carriage frame.

Haunched tenon of the carriage frame.

Chamfering the tilt-slides with a spokeshave.

“NEW LIFE” carving on the top rail of the frame.

Roman “V” carving on the central stile of the carriage frame.

Counter-balanced using pulleys, rope and 50 pounds of weights, allows the painting to be easily moved up and down without using any type of stops or knobs to hold the carriage in place..

Holding the Thomas panel.

Carved Walnut Frame

Here are a few follow up pictures of a large walnut frame, featuring carved ringneck pheasants and the portrait subject’s name. It is difficult, I must confess, to photograph a large empty frame.

The whole frame against the bench.

Lower left corner pheasant.

Lower right corner pheasant.

The carved name, as well as a view of the bead edge molding

Corner detail.

Thomas and Jesus

Years ago I was commissioned to make a painting of Thomas touching the side of Jesus after the Resurrection. I began this drawing then but ended up doing a much simpler painting for the commission. I am in the process of preparing a large panel (for the second time) in order to paint this picture. In this post is the drawing and original painting. Following posts will explore the large panel construction and preparation and the new easel I have had to build to accommodate it.