I’ve been keeping up with the carving.  Mostly, I’ve been carving those little bears and smaller versions of the wizards. But I’ve also done a few caricatures and some “found wood” pieces. The thing everybody seems to like the most is Walter the Walnut Whale:

I find it interesting that this is what grabs people’s attention, as it’s probably the easiest thing I’ve carved in quite a while.  I cut the rough outline on my bandsaw, spent an hour or two rounding it, and then another hour or so sanding before applying the finish (orange oil and beeswax).

I’ve made quite a few of those little bears by now: probably 30 or 35, all told. I’ve given at least half of them away to various people. The ones I like the most, though, are those that I made from found wood. Here’s one I carved out of mesquite from the yard.

And then there are the caricatures.  Last week I finally painted the caricature that I’d carved in June.  The colors turned out a bit more vibrant than I had planned, and the flash made them even brighter. But I’m happy with the way it turned out.

So that’s a sample of what’s happening on the carving front.