April, 2012

Carving a Tiny Little Rosette

April 30, 2012 MaryMay Wood Carving Tips

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I had a fun little job the other day where I carved a tiny little rosette to match a rosette for an antique chair. It was about the size of a quarter. I got out my micro-tools, and it’s amazing after carving a huge thing like the shell niche, and then go down to something this [...]

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Grinding away the shell niche

April 30, 2012 MaryMay Shell Niches

This is the part of the job I'd like to hire out

Here is a photo of me grinding away the inside of the shell to shape the surface before carving the flutes. Soon I should be at a point where I can start to carve the scroll and acanthus detail in the center. That very fine basswood dust sticks to everything! I like hand carving – [...]

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Starting Another Shell Niche

April 28, 2012 MaryMay Shell Niches

My cat using up one of his 9 lives

I am working on one of three shell niches that I am carving for a historical home in Louisville, KY. These are quite a bit larger than the previous shell niches I did. These are 32″ wide x 16″ tall x 12″ deep. My husband figured out the measurements and band-sawed out much of the basswood before [...]

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Back from Berea, KY

April 24, 2012 MaryMay Woodcarving classes

Showing off all the completed carvings

What an absolutely beautiful area of the country! Berea is about 30 miles south of Lexingon – real horse country. And not just country hobby horse farms – these are multi-million dollar horse racing farms. Berea itself is a lovely little artist community. There is an artisan center just off the interstate that sells high-end [...]

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Teaching in Berea, KY

April 18, 2012 MaryMay Woodcarving classes

I’m off to teach a beginning class at Kelly Mehler’s School of Woodworking in Berea, KY. It’s my first time teaching at this school, and I have heard great things about it. I have driven through Berea, and it is a wonderful little artist community just south of Lexington, KY. I have been working on [...]

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Fixing a Pressed Acanthus Leaf

April 12, 2012 MaryMay Bed Carving

Re-carved to make it look hand carved

  Sometimes I get some very interesting work. A client has brought a 4-post bed in that has a pressed acanthus design. I am not really sure how they did this, because it is very deeply pressed. Maybe this wood allows it. He wants me to touch it up to look hand carved. I never turn down [...]

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Carving a Hand

April 10, 2012 MaryMay Carving Hands

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I have a very interesting job that I am working on now. There is a marble statue of the Virgin Mary with her right hand missing at the wrist. My job is to carve a hand in marble to make it look natural. Well, there are a few difficulties with this (besides the fact that [...]

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Boston and Saratoga Springs teaching

April 2, 2012 MaryMay Woodcarving classes

What a whirlwind of a week! I’m finally able to sit at a Starbucks in beautiful Saratoga Springs, NY and update my blog. I flew into Boston last Tuesday, and was whisked away quickly to the Peabody Essex Museum to view some original Samuel McIntire pieces of furniture. I have not had much opportunity to [...]

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Mary May – Woodcarver

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