Originally published in 2013
Here is one I’ve been working on for the past couple of months. I had hoped to get it finished before the Dayton show but just didn’t have the time. It’s a large one, standing about 18″ with the base. It depicts a wrangler taking a break from fixing some broken fence, something we’re pretty familiar with around our place. While we have the benefit of fence pliers, wire stretchers, splices and crimpers, this fella is stuck with a hammer, a can of staples and a pare of dykes. He’ll be holding some new wire in the right hand while the old fence post will show it’s past history of numerous wraps and repairs. That post is from an ancient fence on the property which had fallen down years ago. The tin can will be filled with wire staples and with a painted wrapper.
While I will continue to stick with the caricature genre you will probably notice that my pieces will take on a more realistic appearance as time goes on. They will also continue to grow in size to what is considered normal for a wooden carved caricature. The larger size allows an increased area for more detail while being much easier on my aging eyes. It also separates my work from that of others which is something I’m always striving for.
