My Creativity Blog

Hi! I'm Terry Holliday. I want to inspire you! Here you will find articles to get you thinking about your creative journey. I hope you enjoy the site. If you are new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting and come back often!

Wood Carving Tools

My husband, Butch, decided to try his hand at wood carving. When we visited Thailand earlier this year Butch bought a set of wood carving tools, so I had an idea that some day I would get to see some sort of creation made with wood.  I had no idea what my husband was intending to carve. We saw beautifully carved furniture and sculptures in Thailand.  You can read my article about Thailand wood carvings here. I was expecting Butch would start with something small.

The Log

The other day my husband came home with a cedar log and stood it up in the garage. It was about 5 feet tall. Wow! Butch jumped into wood carving in a big way! I did not know what the final product was going to be.  I figured it was going to be some sort of sculpture. I thought you might enjoy seeing the stages of his wood creation.

Coming Together

I periodically went out into the garage and watched Butch work. I took pictures so I could share on this blog. I did not record all the different steps in the process. I also do not know what to call this creation.

Is is a totem pole? Is it yard art?  What do you think?  What would you call his work of art?  Totem poles have such an interesting history dating back to the 18th century according to Wikipedia.  If you want to read more about totem poles click here.

I was amazed to see the progress on the carving as a giant bird appeared. The feathers, eyes, and beak began to form.  The bird developed personality.  I enjoyed sneaking into the garage to see what was new when Butch wasn’t looking.

Watching creativity at work is just plain fun!

The Finished Product

Texture is an important element used in this carving. Butch also used color as a way to emphasize certain features of the bird.  The large bird now resides in a nicely wooded area of Butch’s daughter’s front yard.  I hope it will be there for many years to come.