Fiddlehead & Hawthorn Leaf Brooch
I had to learn butchery when I went to culinary school. At first I didn’t like it, I was the girl in science class who couldn’t dissect her frog, but I and my chef’s realized I was very good at it and very fast. I started to like the feel of the knife, how delicate but sharp it is. I liked the simple silence of following the patterns of muscle and finding the tendons and joints to first dissect and then to portion meats. I could portion with just my eyes not having to use a scale. My mind would become so absorbed in the process that I forgot to think my normal internal chatter and reached an almost meditative state. When I started woodcarving it came naturally to me, like I’d always known how to do it and had just needed to be reminded. Wood is like bone and tissue – each branch has a soft core like the marrow of bone – through both flow fluid and nutrients. Outside of this core is a delicate complex pattern of veins, woody flesh, knots, and burls which must be carved with the knife in the direction of the patterns of the wood’s grain or it will be a messy misscut and very difficult to carve. The bark is the outer skin of the tree, it protects the inner flesh and the soft core. When alive and green both the bark and the flesh under it is most easily cut into and harmed. But when allowed to age properly for a year or more the wood becomes rigid and hard almost as stone.
I also learned from butchery to acknowledge what I am cutting was once a living being and to have feeling for it – whether it was a freshly killed moose my dad and Tahltan neighbour were about to butcher in the garage or a freshly cut branch from a Rowan tree. I learned to make my cuts deserving of its death; creating the most beautiful lamb chop or a well carved wand. I think any craftsman should care deeply about the materials he or she works with, how else can one create something of skill and beauty?
Goddess Belly Childbirth Charms
So that’s how I learned to carve wood. The little things I picked up from talking to other woodcarvers, or just from trial and error. Woodcarving is my meditation and I don’t do it nearly often enough. The longer you do something the better you get at it – I’m rusty! I hope to change that this late winter and early spring with both friends’ orders and original pieces. Amulets, prayer beads, ritual tools, runes, charms…. I miss the crafting of them despite the bloody thumbs from carving and the cracked skin from the sandpaper.
This post really spoke to me.
Having been on the farm, raising, hunting and often butchering my own meat I also learned a lot of the “feel” of wood crafting from butchering and carving bone.
I too love the feel of the knife in my hand, as well as a chisel or even one of my wood burning sets.
Cuts, slivers, broken nails and blisters are all part of it and I wear them with pride. I can sand for hours and actually find some strange pleasure in the cramp in my hand I get from it.
I enjoy stroking a piece of wood, getting the feel of it, letting it speak to me. Learning its shape, curves and grain. Watching something beautiful slowly take shape from it.
Poor Bren is learning the joy of living with a woman who brings home “sticks and stumps all the time” and seems to always be tracking saw dust into his office. Hehe!
I am not nearly as skilled as you are, however!
“I enjoy stroking a piece of wood” *snorts* hehehe, couldn’t help myself…
Accepting the pain, splinters, and cut fingers of woodcarving is a lot like accepting that in life there is joy and sorrow. The rewards are worth it!
Yeah, I’ve learned when I get the hand cramp it’s time for a tea break… mmm tea…
Your carvings are quite beautiful.
Thank you very much!
Stunning, Sarah, as always. I can’t wait to see what you make! I really hope you put some of these up in your Botanica.
Also, it looks like you might do wood burning as well…or are those designs carved and painted? They’re BEAUTIFUL whatever you did.
I know what Bren is going through Juni! Although I have to admit, I take a little joy in finding pieces of wood for Sarah to carve up. Nothing like beach combing for that next great piece of wood or jumping off the trail cause it looks like that piece there is the one that you’ve been looking for for the last couple of years.
Lifting it into the car is usually my final job though, the piece of wood that I most like to work with has 6 metal wires running along it….
Of course I already knew that you do beautiful work but just had to re-affirm it when I looked at the wonderful photos! I’m hoping to finagle a ‘business’ trip to your side of the country when we get closer to the end of our project so I can actually handle some of your carvings
My husband brings me stones, feathers, and bits of found-trash– it’s great to be loved.
Good husband!
Ooo a trip, that would be fun! *squee*
Beautiful carvings! And a lovely story to go with them.
I quite enjoyed this piece. Recently I took up wood carving, doing some fairly unskilled carving on my stang and now I’m working on a knife handle, with plans to carve a serpent coiling around it. This is very inspiring.
Thank you, both of you!
Best of luck with your carving Hedgeman, watch the thumbs! I’m sure the knife handle will be lovely
Wow, those Goddess Bellies are beautiful. Such a soft carving.
What is your favorite wood to work with?
Oo that’s a hard one! I can’t pick just one – Alder, Cedar and Rowan are my favourites to carve as the wood is beautiful but also easy to carve. But I really like the finished products of Blackthorn and Yew even though they are so hard that I mostly swear and cut myself the whole time…
Mmmm, Cedar is such a beautiful wood. I recently went to my Uncles wood shop and fell in love with wood again!
As usual lovely projects, Sarah.
Me, I think that Wood Carving prepared me for butchery. Not that I do a lot of meat cutting, often veggies too. But when I started woodcarving and whittling … well, half a century ago … , I learned the nature of the blade and how to keep it sharp (scars on my fingers testify ). (I see from your pics you use Pfiel chisels too) There are several excellent cooks in the household (I am a bodger), but the senior, she only prepares roast turkey because I am willing to get my hands and head into it… and then carve it. Today I still carve, models for lost-wax casting, wood, bone, engrave jewelery metals, but it seems to me, most often I am called by others to take up the tool-steel peasant knife from Lee Valley, and fine slice the makings for the feast.
Blessings, (from the other side of your hill,)
rGyatso