Sculpture about done,,,

[Mark Yundt]

Thanks Doug, my pleasure.
Doris , something else to consider is not going after a wood grain finish but something along the lines of the picture frame I did with the cloth. If you remember it I used a red stain and it still let the grain show through. This might be something else to consider with your rose as well. Might look neat, the red, the rose, the grain.

[doris fiebig]

i hear you mark,,, yes i remember the picture frame, and looked it again to be sure,,,but i think i will opt for a natural wood finish, considering the surroundings where this rose will be. i want to make it fit into her living room, and, from what i know she likes she would prefer a natural finish. so, i think, my choice is in the color of the stain, but keeping it "essentially brown"... i will however also try a stain that is called "teak" and it has a lovely strong orange red hue, i find appropriate for a rose.. so next two days i will have fun with trying out, and then need decide and finish... thanks a lot for your input, it increases my fun in the playing ,,, :-)

[Mark Yundt]

Hi Doug, haven't seen you for some time.
Thanks and I'm glad you find this piece moving in some way. All carvings tend to do that to most, but in this case , being a religious piece, I feel that's even more important.
Thanks again for the kudo's.

[Jim Underwood]

Mark thanks so much for sharing your work. It's wonderful to see such talent put to good use. This is a wonderful carving, as are all the others you've posted...

Wish I were a bit closer. I'd love to come visit your shop, and ask tons of questions.

[Mark Yundt]

Well Jim, I'd love to have you over, especially for some company! Granted , I like having the cat in the shop, but she sleeps so much that she's not much good at holding a conversation.

Maybe that's why I tend to babble on my posts!
For what it's worth, if you ( or anyone) has a question about my work, or any facet of carving, ask away. If I glance over something, or you need clarification just ask.
If we can't share, what good is having any knowledge,,, as little as I may possess.

Today I got the remaining panels back from the church. They needed them to locate the holes for the lighting etc. Tonight I stained them as well as finished them. So off to the church tomorrow for the installation of the panels. Then they're framing the niche with an oak that is being used around the rest of the church as trim. They originally had a white frame around this area, and it looked bad. Sorry to say,, but it did. As a book shelf , maybe,, but as a frame for my piece.. I don't think so. And they seemed a bit hesitant about changing it since the baseboard is white! Excuse me? What's the logic behind that thought? If it were a painting or other piece of art, would the frame around it have to match the baseboard?

[Jon McElwain]

Could you tell me a little bit about your wood selection process? Or rather, how you chose how the pieces would fit together? I have been more and more aware of how the grain patterns and such interact with a piece, be it furniture, carving, wood turning etc.

Of course, while I have been aware of it, I have yet to attain a good eye for creating it. Just the other day I bummed myself out when I selected two pieces of red alder for a small carved bench project. One of the two top pieces had some ripple and chatoyance, while the other was plain. This was of course only noticed by me following the glue-up...

[Mark Yundt]

Hi Jon,
In a piece such as this, grain selection can be hit or miss. On the areas where the surface is near the original thickness such as the bottom of the robe the grains either bookmatch or blend very nicely. But as I got deeper into the carving such as the veil, the grain patterns did whatever they wanted to.
Generally the thought on a table top for example is to alternate the grains, meaning, sap side up, bark side up etc. A top built this way should remain relatively flat where a top with all the sections oriented in the same way can have a tendency to bow.

If I'm doing a carving out of one thickness of wood ( this piece was two ) I will generally keep all the grain oriented the same way. But one thing I will do to help counteract the tendency of wide glue ups to warp, especially when carved, is to relieve the back as I did on this one . Here it was out of habit, and as a bit of insurance that I did it as well as providing me a convenient way to hang it.
Hollowing the back, since the face surface is carved can ,and usually will to some degree make the piece warp. Here , with two layers the chance is lessened, but why take chances.
Another thing I did on this piece was to start out with boards over 10 inches wide and 2+ inches thick, rip them and then re glue them into one piece.

As far as general selection, it's developing an eye and a feel for the pieces you intend to use. I know this isn't much help. But basically look for pieces that appear the same. If you're starting with rough cut lumber as I usually do it can be a bit more difficult as opposed to milled lumber. Watch for things such as how the end grain appears. Look for patterns on the surface that can tell you what's underneath. Check along the edges for wild ripples or grain taking off in odd directions. The more uniform the patterns you see from one piece to the next will help in a consistent glue up.
Don't know if this answered anything,, but it's the best I can do without having you here with me digging through piles of lumber picking pieces out.
Mark

[Mark Yundt]

I don't know why it won't let me edit my post, but the sentence should read,,,


NOT hollowing the back, since the face is carved can and will at times lead to the piece warping