Long Robe – May 31, 2018

Well, it took a while but he’s finally finished…..Just in time for the Tulsa Woodcarving Show.   I’m quite pleased with the way he turned out and hope you are too.  That shield really sets him off and shows how much an extra detail can add to a piece. Comments welcome.

“Dang Rustlers!” – May 17, 2018

I finished this one up last week.  I really like to do the 3/4 style busts as a lot of detail can be squeezed in without making the figure so large. This Rancher is after the reprobates who have been diminishing his livestock.  He’s got his noose ready and is heading to the corral to…

Willy White Owl – March 25, 2018

I’m still working to clear off the partially finished carvings setting on my work table.  One of the best way to do it is to add a bust body to one of the many heads I’ve done.  I think I’ve mentioned before that on our Tuesday carvers gathering at the Senior Center in town I…

Old Gabe – Painted – March 10, 2018

Added the hat feathers yesterday which completed this piece.  I had my worries about whether the solid color capote would work but I think it turned out pretty well.  Not every Mountain Man in the Rockies was fortunate enough to have a Hudsons Bay blanket and had to depend on just what was available. I…

Old Gabe Gets A Body…At Least Half Of One!

Today I worked on the lower half of Old Gabe.  He’s wearing a blanket capote, loosely modeled after one we picked up at a Mountain Man Rendezvous last year at the Woolaroc Museum.  I ask Judy to come down and model it for me so I could actually see how it fit.  Photos are nice…

Old Gabe – February 28, 2018

I’m still in the process of clearing heads off the workbench so with this one I thought it would be a reasonable representation of the Mountain Man Jim Bridger, or Old Gabe as he was known.   Naturally, a little artistic license will be used to make the figure more interesting but that’s okay, at least…

Buckskin Billy – February 19, 2018

Just finished working on this one yesterday.  The carved feather was still wet with primer so I used a real one for the photo.  I tried something new this time by adding some beaded piping along the edge where the body of the shirt meets the fringe of the sleeve.  Should look pretty good when…

Billy Black Elk – February 11, 2018

Here’s a new one.  With the walnut base he stands about 12″ tall to the tip of the feathers.  I was a little worried about the colors as they were a little dark compared to other pieces but it turned out pretty nice.   A lot of people ask me why I never do a smiling…

Standing Buffalo – January 15, 2018

This piece measures just at 18″ with the walnut base.  I originally painted him without any facial decoration but was completely unsatisfied with the result.  So after a little more research and a trip back to the paint table he became a completely new character.  Frankly, with those piercing eyes it’s hard to look away…