Here are the results of the final days of the from both of the Bali mask carving workshops. Everyone got far enough along to finish on their own. Lots of diversity this year.
This year I came up with a portable and adjustable workbench that allowed some of the carvers to successfully work sitting on a chair rather than sitting on the floor in the traditional Balinese style.
Art decided on a clear wax finish for his smiling fisherman mask. Patrick's mask is a portrait of his dog. He will add some leather floppy ears and he woodburned the nose and eyes.
Madeleine attended both of the workshops and came away with the laughing sister masks.
Elena is finishing up her female Native American mask as a companion piece to her male mask from a previous Balinese Mask carving workshop.
In spite of my goofy smile I had so much fun. Both of the masks that I worked on in these two workshops had smiles.
The mask that I carved for the first workshop has a maroon acrylic wash on the back that comes through to the front for the lips, nostrils and eye lids. I worked really hard on trying to maintain the symmetry of this mask as I worked on it.
My mask from the second workshop was more playful. I didn't have an image in mind when I was carving but was trying for a peaceful smile. I had lots of fun making the feather duster hair. I actually took apart and reassembled a duster that I had been keeping for the feathers.
Welcome to Grapes and leaves graduates, George, Jasper, Serenity, Niki and Cara. Nice job!
Angel finished his Grapes and Leaves and a sweet little exotic wood heart for his very soon to be wife. Congratulations! Art finished his trout carving. The low relief basswood fish was smoothed and the background left with a tooled texture and then colored with diluted antique writing ink to get a cool watery background.
More completed projects. Jasper, (Simon's visiting cousin) completed a incised and wood burned letter. Amelia shows off her Pterodactyl walking stick carved from alder. Dave completed these lovely salad tongs from a log of Chinese elm he saved from the fire wood pile. Good save Dave. Tracy completed and put finish on her French Horn inspired Cherrywood bowl.
DC Bill's Granddaughter, Josie, carved this beautiful deep relief carving as her second basswood carving.
DC Bill with his Big Boot. A hard project to clamp but we now have it secured to the bench with a strap clamp.
Camille hand carved this base of Kiri wood to hold these glass "ribs." Each piece has a small hollow recessed to locate and prevent the glass from rotating. It is almost impossible to see the hollow so the glass appears to be sitting on a completely flat piece of wood.