Some time ago, we had a willow collapse in the yard-of course, this happened while I was away at a show, as bad things always happen when I'm not around to take care of them.
I cut the willow up into smaller pieces with the exception of three four foot sections. These I (paraffin) waxed on the ends (so prescribed by an old wood carvers book). It's been about two years since I put these aside to dry in the furnace room of the studio. Cutting into them yielded a nice soft, yet consistent wood, not unlike pine. I started cutting ovoid head shapes (with a flat back to facilitate hanging) from one of the logs. Thereafter, I nailed rusty tin and bits of old wire into the surfaces. Now it seems as though I have yet another version of Shakespeare's weird sisters, with more to follow.
2 comments:
Love your sculpted heads!
What's the reason for the wax on the ends of the wood?
Waxing the ends of the logs allows them to dry at a slower pace-if they dry rapidly, the wood splits a great deal more.
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