Here is a look at the carving shop from an hour ago. I have carved the basic shape of the front portion of the giraffe’s legs and chest. Now I am gluing up her neck one or two boards at a time. I am not the most intuitive of sculptors and especially with this animal where it is so important to get the neck right so that it goes around a corner and leans down a certain amount, I have to get it just right. So I end up putting on more wood than I normally would and then taking it off as I need to. But I am being patient, and as you can see from the griaffe’s head, she seems to be patiently waiting as well.
On the subject of patience and the manner that I carve, I have had folks comment on the fact that my carving shop is in a constant state of disarray and that my bar clamps (used to glue up the boards) are too beat up and have old glue on them, and even that my carving tools are not so well taken care of. If you could see the shop up close you would agree with me that these are all valid points. My inadequate defense, but a defense all the same, is that my inclination, once I have started an animal, is to want to finish it as soon as possible. The more detail the animal gets, the more I feel it is my duty to get it finished so that it can begin its life. Once an animal is finished, I try to clean the shop up but just as often my enthusiasm for beginning another one get the best of me and I dive into another project. So it is. -Scott
