| To attain my goals and my mission, was going to | | | | shop again! I had already decided to do imaginative |
| require taking chances. And, to take risks with my | | | | things, so I got started, and some of the ideas I came |
| work would require that I be honest with myself. My | | | | up were out in left field for sure, but these were the |
| confidence and self-esteem would have to be high | | | | things that made happy FIRST and those pieces |
| and it would take courage, too! I took an inventory of | | | | included:Donut: This is a simple piece to carve, and this |
| my qualities (yeah, right!), to see if I had the right stuff | | | | piece I never sold because I had so much fun with it |
| to do this. Was my self-esteem and confidence | | | | over the years. A chocolate donut, complete with |
| relatively high? Did I have the courage to take chances | | | | frosting on top and was about the same size as a real |
| out in public? Could I deal with rejection and failure? | | | | donut. I placed the "donut" in a Dunkin donuts sack, |
| Can I get "egg on my face" and survive? Could I | | | | complete with tissue, and some people were amazed |
| suffer through embarrassing moments? Could I eat a | | | | at how real it looked. The person reaching down into |
| little "crow" along the way? The answer to all these | | | | the sack to get the "donut" wasn't aware that it was |
| questions was NO...I WANT MY MOMMY!To take | | | | made of wood, and they would always ask: "How old |
| chances with my work, I would have to "go against the | | | | is this donut?" I had a lot of fun with it.Little black bear |
| grain" (woodcarver, get it?) I would have to go off the | | | | cub in a high-chair: Over the years, this was my best |
| beaten path. (I was already off everybody's beaten | | | | seller! The little bear cub measured about an inch tall |
| path) I really didn't know the answers to all these | | | | and the red and white high-chair measured about 5 |
| questions I asked myself, but I wanted to do what | | | | inches tall. As soon as I placed one of these out on |
| pleased me FIRST, and then hopefully others would | | | | my display...to was gone! I would usually take about ten |
| like my work as well. There's a big difference in | | | | of these with me and they would all sell.Lion sitting in a |
| producing something that will never go before the | | | | bathtub: This was my second best seller. At an art |
| public. It's quite another thing when you produce | | | | show, it didn't take long for this piece to disappear |
| something for public show, etc.I've always been a | | | | either.Flu bug sick in bed with the flu! I figured if a |
| competitive person, and I don't like to lose at anything! | | | | person can get the flu, why can't a flu bug get the flu? |
| Checkers; ping-pong; basketball; football; golf; tennis; | | | | So, I carved the little flu bug (about 2" long) out of |
| cards...you name it. I don't like to lose, but if I do, I | | | | redwood. I made a little bed out of masonite; complete |
| consider myself a good loser and a good sport. I don't | | | | with a tiny pillow and bed sheet. The little flu was |
| go off throwing a temper-tantrum all over the county | | | | covered with a blanket. And, the caption on a small |
| because I lost a silly game of checkers! (I just call my | | | | piece of card stock read, "Flu bug sick in bed with the |
| buddy in the Mafia...Vinnie Testasterone, to put out a | | | | flu"Caterpillar wearing a brown derby: About as silly as |
| contract on the person who beat me and it's all taken | | | | it gets, right? I carved a caterpillar and painted it lime |
| care)I started carving wood, when I was in the ninth | | | | green, and mounted it on a branch about 10 inches |
| grade in middle school. In the wood shop I was taking, | | | | long. And yes, I took it to a show and put it on display. |
| just about all the students were building projects such | | | | A couple of hours I sold it to a fellow, and I asked him |
| as a coffee table; bookcase; chairs and because all | | | | why he bought it, and the answer was; "Because I like |
| these projects were made of hardwood, they could | | | | it!"Volkswagen: I have no idea where this idea came |
| be expensive. Because my parents didn't have much | | | | from but I carved a Volkswagen in pine that had two |
| money for the class, I had to keep my projects | | | | front ends. (no trunk) Because most of my work was |
| affordable and simple.My wood shop instructor had an | | | | captioned, the caption read, "Make up your mind...are |
| on-going project of carving little animal characters, and | | | | you coming or going?" I sold this piece to a woman, |
| he kept a few of them on his desk. (show-off) Small | | | | who said her boyfriend didn't know if he was coming |
| carvings which measured about 5-6 inches tall...a | | | | or going half the time, so this piece was perfect for |
| giraffe; dog; cat; elephant and so forth. They were | | | | him.A fawcett: The water fawcett was painted silver |
| inexpensive to make, and I liked the looks of them, so I | | | | like the real thing, with a wood water drop coming out |
| wanted to try wood carving.I got started on the animal | | | | of it. The drop was painted a very light blue, and had a |
| pieces, and a few weeks after I completed a few | | | | funny face on it. The caption on the very small piece |
| pieces, I compared the same piece to my instructor's | | | | of card stock read, "Whatever turns you on...or off!" I |
| wood pieces...and, I was surprised! MY | | | | sold this piece to a woman whose husband was a |
| INSTRUCTOR'S WOOD PIECES WERE ALMOST | | | | plumber.Friendly octopus; I saw a picture of an octopus |
| AS GOOD AS MINE! (Just kidding!) Let the chips fall | | | | on a billboard and I wanted one. So I carved one. The |
| where they may, was the cry for the rest of the year | | | | legs were cut out of half inch redwood and the body |
| and I completed the woodworking class.Many years | | | | out of 2" redwood and all the pieces were glued |
| later, when I was thirty-something, I took wood carving | | | | together after they were carved. The octopus was |
| up again. And, because I liked the little animals, I | | | | painted a very dirty brown/dark green and it was |
| continued with them. I carved about a dozen pieces, | | | | shown at Octopus Car Wash for a while.Skunk: This |
| and took them with me to the flea market, along with | | | | piece was painted back and white like a real skunk |
| a lot ot other junk, and to get reaction from the public | | | | and carried a sign which read: "Help Stop |
| on the wood pieces. A woman stopped my my | | | | Pollution!"Basket Case: My wife bought some cookies |
| display and saw the little "critters" as she called them, | | | | that come in a small straw basket about 5" long and |
| and invited me to participate in an arts and crafts | | | | two inches high. I carved a female patient wearing |
| show in Santa Fe, New Mexico.During this period of | | | | hospital pajamas to fit the little basket and now I had |
| time, I went down to Old Town (Albuquerque), where | | | | my "Basket Case!"These were a few of the over 200 |
| there were several shops and galleries, to show | | | | different original wood carvings I produced over the |
| business owners my work, and to see if I could sell my | | | | years. And, as you can see, I took a lot of chances |
| work on consignment, etc. I only visited one shop and I | | | | with my work. And, because I've been in the humor |
| decided this wasn't for me. The shop owner liked my | | | | business most of my life, 90% of the pieces were |
| work, but she was interested in buying wood pieces of | | | | cartoon-like characters in wood.So, take a few |
| a southwestern nature...roadrunners; cowboys; bulls | | | | chances with your work and just use caution and |
| and so forth.I decided very quickly that I was not going | | | | common sense. If you have to eat a little "crow" in the |
| to spend the rest of my life carving roadrunners and | | | | process once in a while...trust me...it doesn't taste so |
| bulls just to make a buck or two! I didn't go back to a | | | | bad! Over the years, I've eaten a whole flock of "crow! |