Nesting Place
From an encounter in the garden as I was preparing the soil for planting in an area around the stump of an old apple tree, I became aware of the angry chatter of one or two chickadees and realized that I must be somewhere that they were defending. I stepped away and waited until I saw one enter a small hole in the stump.
The remains of this tree continued to give long after it yielded its last apples. Fungi grew and the bark peeled back to reveal the wood beneath. I quickly finishing my garden work then honored their space, and watched them at their business for weeks. From my carving bench I could see this stump as its story unfolded from years ago, changing from a healthy apple-producing tree until its desiccated and powdery end.
A three-way conversation between the model, my imagination and the boxwood branch from which the story was carved began while the brood of chick-a-dee chicks were in residence.
The boxwood branch came from a friend of Norm Sartorius (spoon carver), who knew that some woods were raw material for carvers instead of debris to be wasted. I was a thankful recipient of this delicious, very hard, wood.
Material:
Boxwood, African Blackwood (eye inlay)
Dimensions:
5.5 x 2.1 x 1.3 inches
14.0 x 5.3 x 3.4 cm
#509
From an encounter in the garden as I was preparing the soil for planting in an area around the stump of an old apple tree, I became aware of the angry chatter of one or two chickadees and realized that I must be somewhere that they were defending. I stepped away and waited until I saw one enter a small hole in the stump.
The remains of this tree continued to give long after it yielded its last apples. Fungi grew and the bark peeled back to reveal the wood beneath. I quickly finishing my garden work then honored their space, and watched them at their business for weeks. From my carving bench I could see this stump as its story unfolded from years ago, changing from a healthy apple-producing tree until its desiccated and powdery end.
A three-way conversation between the model, my imagination and the boxwood branch from which the story was carved began while the brood of chick-a-dee chicks were in residence.
The boxwood branch came from a friend of Norm Sartorius (spoon carver), who knew that some woods were raw material for carvers instead of debris to be wasted. I was a thankful recipient of this delicious, very hard, wood.
Material:
Boxwood, African Blackwood (eye inlay)
Dimensions:
5.5 x 2.1 x 1.3 inches
14.0 x 5.3 x 3.4 cm
#509
From an encounter in the garden as I was preparing the soil for planting in an area around the stump of an old apple tree, I became aware of the angry chatter of one or two chickadees and realized that I must be somewhere that they were defending. I stepped away and waited until I saw one enter a small hole in the stump.
The remains of this tree continued to give long after it yielded its last apples. Fungi grew and the bark peeled back to reveal the wood beneath. I quickly finishing my garden work then honored their space, and watched them at their business for weeks. From my carving bench I could see this stump as its story unfolded from years ago, changing from a healthy apple-producing tree until its desiccated and powdery end.
A three-way conversation between the model, my imagination and the boxwood branch from which the story was carved began while the brood of chick-a-dee chicks were in residence.
The boxwood branch came from a friend of Norm Sartorius (spoon carver), who knew that some woods were raw material for carvers instead of debris to be wasted. I was a thankful recipient of this delicious, very hard, wood.
Material:
Boxwood, African Blackwood (eye inlay)
Dimensions:
5.5 x 2.1 x 1.3 inches
14.0 x 5.3 x 3.4 cm
#509