This is the introduction to a new section of Artistic-Tendency.com.  Here you will start to see an ongoing artists process in the making of carvings, techniques involved and new pieces by Barrie-based carver Jeff Taylor.  Expect great things and a new bio on this merging artist.  For the first interview, click here.

Introduction to Adventure Number One:  Garden Sculpture in Bolton, ON

This was an interesting and very fun carving; the customers told me they like spirit faces, green man faces, flowers and birds.  At first I was going to carve a hawk out of the one forking branches flying by a nest, but we decided against it and the customers  told me to just  continue the theme  and get creative. The first day I carved part of the lower portion of the tree with leaf and spirit faces, followed by the first of three sunflowers and vines.

The second and third day was beautiful with not a cloud in the sky, I started with a woman face covered with leafs and five flowers. I filmed it in intervals for the first half of the carving then after a coffee break I forgot to turn the camera back on to film me finishing the face. I then moved on to a womens face where we got the idea from a fairy candle holder that was given to the customer from a close friend. When carving the other two sunflowers I really used the natural bulges and knots in the tree for direction and flow. Weaving the vines and leafs around the tree really gave it character and brought out the beautiful deep wood grain; they loved the raw natural look of the carving. Adding the tree frog proved to be a challenge because of the angles I had to carve it on, but it was well worth it to see how happy she was when it was finished!

Interested?  Comment on this article to find out more!

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