**Latest Additions**
(All Available Carvings)
Ogg the Ogre (Available)
This angry cyclops has the unusual feature of being born out of a piece of bark that appears to be two furrows fused togther; note the natural texture on both the upper right and lower left sections of the piece. His name came about because it felt natrual to name him something that sounded like a grunt. He measures about 10" x 2.5"
Roscoe (Available)
This expressive gentleman is saddled with an impressive mustache and a well-groomed haircut. He measures about 9" x 2".
Screaming into the Void (Available)
This piece was created in response to a call for artwork from The Shallot magazine (in which I was previously featured). The prompt was to submit a piece of artwork that embodies either reflection or growth; I chose reflection. This is a self portrait of me screaming, meant to express all of the emotions I have been going through over the course of 2024, as my wife was diagnosed with cancer, her treatments, and her surgery (along with her lengthy hospital stay. I feel this kinda sums up my 2024 pretty accurately. It measures about 11" x 2.5".
The Ghoul (Available)
This reanimated corpse head is one of the more gruesome pieces I believe I have ever made. He started as more of a mummified skull design, with his eyes still intact, but the decaying details seemed to snowball after I got going. This design came about because I was trying to figure out something interesting to do with a piece of bark with a broken bottom section and the final outcome seems more than fitting. He measures about 8.5" x 3".
Blaze (Available)
This gentleman is yet another bearded skull. I really like the detail of the bruised wood grain and layers around his cheek bones and forehead, and his nasal cavity turned out pretty realistic looking considering as how it broke a few times while I tried to carved the fine detail. His name comes from how his hair looks like flowing flames from the top of his head. He measures about 15" x 3".
Pharaoh's Curse (Available)
This gentleman marks my third attempt at carving The Mummy, and this is, by far, the fiercest one. I think I have been putting off trying my hand at this particular monster for so long because of the amount of detail work involved. However, I am thrilled with the intensity of his eyes, and especially with the way his blackened gums highlight his decay. He measures about 7.75" x 3.75".
The Remains of Bark and Bone (Available)
This piece started as a problematic section of bark that had a rather deep furrow running through the middle. As a result, that blank sat next to my desk for 5+ years waiting for inspiration to strike me; which it finally did in the form of a pair of stacked skulls. The texture of the tree bark really turned out cool, and I did my best to preserve as much of the natural live edge where the bark meets the skulls. Overall, it measures about 11" x 3".
Stargazer (Available)
This little fellow marks my first completed carving of 2025. His name came about because of his large, curious eyes and, you know, he's nocturnal. He measures about 6" x 2".
Alistair Blackwood (Available)
This elder statesman was created from a piece of bark that had a deep and interesting fissure running about half of the length. In trying to maintain that cool, natural feature, I incorporated it into the inner side of his left (our right) mustache. As for his name, he seemed to need something a little more distinguished that the usual fare. He measures about 12.5" x 3".
Nice Hat (Available)
This is yet another combination piece featuring Cottonwood bark, Black Walnut shells, and an interesting piece of driftwood. This whimsical piece involves two friendly hedgehogs and a rather annoyed owl. It measures about 6.5" x 9" x 8".
Wake Up! We're Burning Moonlight (Available)
This is another combination piece featuring Cottonwood Bark, a Black Walnut shell, and a section of a Mulberry branch. The title is suppose to be a goofy play on the animal kingdom since both of these creatures are nocturnal. This piece measures about 6" x 8.5" x 3".
Grimjaw (Available)
Yet another standard skull design; this time with a very squared and well-defined jaw. He measures about 7.5" x 3".
Frostcap (Available)
This gentleman marks my first completed carving of 2024. He is a basic gnome carving that I started during the 2023 Crafty Fair. His name came about from billowy-brimmed winter cap. He measures about 10" x 2".
Frankie Comes Alive (Available)
This fellow marks my ninth version of Frankenstein's monster. I felt the need to get a little creative with his name this time, so I decided to name him along the lines of a certain album that I told that everybody had. "If you lived in the suburbs you were issued it. It came in the mail with samples of Tide." He measures about 7.5" x 3".
Half Pint (Available)
This small gentleman started out as a portion of a larger piece of bark that proved too challenging to carve into one design; so, I broke it apart and created several pieces from that one blank. Because of this, I chose to leave him with the natural texture on the left side of his face, which was part of a furrow in the larger piece of bark, and I think it adds a bit of burnt / deteriorating character. His name comes from the combination of him having only part of a face, and that fact that he is a bit smaller than most of my other pieces. He measures about 5" x 2".
Woman of the Wood (Available)
This somber woman was modeled after a dryad spirit peering out through the tangled roots of a tree. She is featured with the Celtic triple spiral, or Triskele, on her cheek as a symbol of the life-death-rebirth cycle of nature. She measures about 8" x 2".
Nuggs (Available)
This goofy little guy was originally meant to be something completely different, and when I started to design him I got inspired to do something a little sillier by the potato scrubber sitting by our kitchen sink. Well, this 'nugget' of a guy showed up; which is where he gets his name. He measures about 6.5" x 4".
Brontes (Available)
This monstrous fellow came from a drawing that one of my daughters did on one of my carving blanks a few months ago. In the original drawing she gave him a top hat and lots of needle-sharp teeth, but the finished product called for a few changes. His name comes from a cyclops in Greek mythology whose name means "thunder". He measures about 11" x 2.5".
1-UP (Available)
This 'fun guy' is one of my pieces that started off as a completely different concept and morphed into its own thing during the carving process. The final piece is a mash up of a red and white mushroom (Amanita muscaria) and a certain Italian plumber. He measures about 8" x 3.5".
Thorntooth (Available)
This whimsical Ent was created by carving out the natural furrows of the bark. His name came about from the jagged protrusion by the side of his mouth. He measures about 12.5" x 3".
Soursap (Available)
This grumpy, cycloptic Ent was created following the natural texture of this piece of cottonwood bark. His name comes from his 'not too pleased' expression. He measures about 14.5" x 2.5".
Lion's Mane (Available)
This gentleman is yet another of my mushroom / gnome men. His name is a reference to both a variety of mushroom as well as a name for his stylized beard (sans mustache). He measures about 11" x 2.5".
Skinny Pete (Available)
The inspiration for this gentleman came from a narrow piece of bark that had an unusual horizontal crack near the middle of it. The shape of the crack became his mouth and led to his grumpy expression. He measures about 10.5" x 2.5".
Remington (Available)
I started carving this mustachioed gentleman while manning my booth at the 2021 Crafty Fair. His name came about because I was looking for something that would fit his 'rough and tumble' cowboy type of look. I think it suits him nicely. He measures about 7.5" x 3".
Toa Moai (Available)
This fellow was inspired from a previous tiki carving I completed a few years ago by the name of "Haka". I just liked how the tongue turned out on that other piece and wanted to see if I could replicate it. Also, I wanted the mouth and tongue to stand out as the focal point of this piece, so I decided to combine a 'tiki' style bottom half with a more simplistic Easter Island 'Moai' style top half. His name comes from the combination of these two styles; in Southpacific Islander "Toa" translates to "Warrior" and "Moai" translates to "Statue", so the his name means exactly what he is: "Warrior Statue". He measures about 11" x 1.75"
Hyldemoer (Available)
The concept for this carving began while I was sitting in my booth at the 2019 Crafty Fair. I spoke with a customer who said she'd like it if I could incorporate more 'feminine' carvings into my work. Right then and there I started sketching some into the blanks I was working on and Hyldemoer was the first to be completed.
Her name comes from Norse mythology, where "Hyldemoer" was the Elder Mother spirit, guardian of the Elder trees. If anyone were to take wood from the Elder Tree without asking her permission ill luck would befall them.
I chose to add some Nordic Runes (Elder Futhark) to my interpretation to reaffirm her Nordic roots. From the top left over: the bent looking 'C' is the Rune for the Elder Tree and Feminine Energy; the triangular 'P' is the Rune for Pleasure and Harmony; and the pointed "N" is the Rune for Destruction, Loss and Change. I feel the combination of these Runes really illustrates the duality of the spirit this piece embodies; she is a guardian spirit that can either be benevolent or destructive depending upon how she is treated.
Finally, this piece was one of the first cottonwood carvings that I chose to incorporate wood burning in order to highlight some of her features. Each of the Runes, as well as her irises, are lightly burned. I didn't originally intend to burn her lips as well, but I was having issues with finishing the piece and my eldest daughter flat out told me the problem was her lips needed to be burned, too; problem solved! She measures about 5.5" x 3.75"
Old Man Logan (Available)
Based more on the comic series than the recent movie, this gentleman is a future version of Wolverine that is weathered, grizzled, and always seems to be angry. He measures about 9" x 3".
Copper Bones (Available)
"I have the key to One-Eyed Willie..." He measures about 6.5" x 2.5".
Count Orlok (Available)
Count Orlok from the silent film Nosferatu. When I began this mysterious gentleman, I was a bit anxious about how his eyes and teeth would turn out, as they are his most striking features. With that said, I am very happy with the detail that came out in the finished product. He measures about 10" x 3".
The King's Justice (Available)
For fans of Game of Thrones, this gentleman in the executioner's mask is how I pictured Ilyn Payne when I read the novel. For fans of the show, I fully realize that this fellow doesn't resemble Wilko Johnson. Lastly, I really don't think you could arrive at a more suitable name for an executioner. He measures about 8.5" x 3".
Scorch (Available)
This severely burned individual was created from a piece of bark that was too narrow to accommodate his entire face. The 'burned' portion of this piece is actually the natural outer skin of the cottonwood bark, and it takes on a charred color after it's sealed. I find it very fun when a face seems to carve itself based on the shape of the original piece of bark. I am especially proud of the way the mouth and the blown out portion of his cheek turned out. This is my macabre sense of art at its best. He measures about 10" x 2".
