Читать книгу Woodcarving Illustrated Issue 71 Summer 2015 - Группа авторов - Страница 20

Woodcarving Illustrated

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SPRING 2013

18

Realistic

Creativity

Taking flight with imagination

leads to carved “metal” habitat

By Susan Dorsch

Photos by R. Daisey

M

y journey in the art world has

taken a circuitous path.

Although

I didn’t study art, it was always my

hobby and passion. It didn’t matter

what the genre, I wanted to try it. I experimented with

calligraphy, two-dimensional wall art, ceramics, silk-

screening, sign painting, mixed media, and oil, acrylic,

and watercolor paintings.

I taught special education for 17 years, as well as

did several art projects for the school system. With

encouragement from the superintendent, I then

completed a degree in fine arts and began teaching

graphic arts. However, my art interests were about to

take another turn. My classroom was located across

the hall from the woodshop, and the instructor let me

audit the beginning woodworking class. It was then

that I fell in love with the idea of working with wood.

I was captivated with the look, texture, grain, smell,

and colors of wood. It was not long before I began

building my own bookcases, end tables, coffee tables,

entertainment centers, etc.

Looking for new projects to pique my students’

interest, I decided that working with wood would

add a novel dimension to their art experiences. Using

donated rotary and hand tools and woodburners, and

with instruction from carver Bob Barris and me, the

students completed several projects. Exposure to many

mediums provided the stimulus to encourage my

students to attempt a variety of art projects not only

while they were in school, but also after graduation.

I eventually retired from teaching, but I kept

carving. In 2006 I took a songbird class with Roz

Daisey and was pleasantly surprised to discover a

new challenge, as well as a fascination with power

carving. Prior to this time, my artistic endeavors were,

for the most part, abstract and impressionistic. Now

I was involved in a field of art that required exact

measurements and specifications. Soon I learned to

carve, burn, stone, and paint these beautiful birds, and

I became infatuated with this incredible medium of

“realistic creativity.”

In the carving world, birds generally perch on

branches. I wanted to deviate from that norm, allow

my creativity to kick in, and depict the birds in

different but realistic settings. At a yard sale, I noticed

several old tools with an aged appearance. It was an

easy transition to think, “Why not use wood to make

a metal object?” I began searching for unique and

intriguing outdoor objects to use as models. And thus

began my current creations, where I design and carve

metal-looking habitats as perches for my songbirds.