Wood
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When I was about ten years old, my father decided I could be trusted to carry a pocketknife. He showed me how to hold it safely, to oil it, how to sharpen it and to close it without cutting my fingers off. I started to ‘whittle’ on cast-away pieces of construction lumber. I didn’t make anything in particular; I just liked the feeling of slicing a large piece of wood until it became too small to hold. I taught myself how to achieve different looks by using different cuts with the knife. This skill evolved and refined itself over the years, and I began making pieces of art by carving wood. I no longer use a pocketknife, but the concept is the same. Of all the disciplines of art that I employ, woodcarving is by far my favorite. It is the most demanding, too. Once you’ve cut off a piece of wood, there’s no bringing it back. I have found that I use skills of drawing, woodworking and painting in all the woodcarvings that I make. For me, carving is the ultimate test of my skills as an artist. I do work by commission. The carvings I create are caricatures of real people, and are very specific. They don’t lend themselves to any type of mass production. I also carve wildlife. |
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Steve McMillen |
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