The Okie Kid

Here’s one I just finished yesterday. This is the first full bodied Cowboy I’ve managed to complete since last year and a few months further back from that point. I won’t belabor the reasons other than to mention a heart operation and a new home. We gave up country living and moved into town. The old place was just too much for us 80 year olds to handle.

Anyway….There is one thing I’ve learned from the long pause from carving and that is it’s hard to get back into what you were doing when the engine was running full throttle! The wood seemed to be a lot harder, the knives, even Old Reliable, don’t seem as sharp, and your interest was almost absent. Then there’s the temptation of giving into the latest TV episode steaming Sydney Sweeny instead of heading over to the workbench!

The Okie Kid stands at 14-1/2″ tall including the base. While I’ve carved much smaller figures in the past, more recent characters averaged around 20″ to 24″. I really enjoy carving the larger pieces as the smaller details were easier to produce. Also, and just as important, a larger figure commands much more attention than a smaller one. The old saying, “You can’t stop noticing the Elephant in the room” is very true. I’ve learned over the years that a prospective collector who’s really interested in woodcarvings wants something that can stand out on it’s own rather than being buried on a knick-knack shelf! In addition to that…when placing your piece on the competition table it really pays if it stands so tall that it’s the first one the Judge sees and can’t stop seeing.

For this figure, I went back to just the slit for the eye detail but this time I use the burning pin to increase the darkness a little more than I have in the past. That eye detail would be just about the same as a real person of that scale. Sometimes a complete detail can be accomplished with just a piece of it. Again, I also carved the hat, the head and the arms separate. Doing this adds a considerable amount of strength to the piece. Yes, I know…there are those who don’t think this is kosher…all woodcarvings MUST be carved out of one piece of wood. To that I say HOGWASH! In my shop anything goes to get the result I’m after. As for painting, I really concentrated on making the clothing and leather look well worn. He’s a working Cowboy so there would be lots of wear and dirt. Lastly, he’s out in the sun all day so his nose is red as are the cheeks. He’s got that 5 o’clock shadow, accomplished with just a minute wash of Midnight Blue. There’s no paint on the upper forehead as he wears his hat all day….the classic Farmers Tan! His hat is stained from long hot days on the prairie. and his pants are oversized as there was probably only one size sold in the closest mercantile. Oh….and he’s packin’, so no wisecracks about his not being from Texas. He’s an Oklahoma Boy and proud of it!

Comments welcome as always.