Wood Carving
by Gail Lang

Wood, like clay, is one of the oldest materials used by man. Wood sculpture's from ancient times that stand as great examples would be the ancient Chinese temples. While many were burnt down, the few that remain have such exquisite detail that few would argue their artistic value. The detail of such fine carvings will not be found in buildings constructed today but many other forms of carvings exist that are just as lovely. These might be a small piece of redwood lovingly carved into a dolphin, or more exquisite and larger images utilizing sometimes one piece of wood and sometiems putting together many pieces to create an even larger piece of art.

One of the wonderful features of wood is it's fibrous quality. Each type of wood has it's own unique graining which is both beautiful and durable in the finished art form.

Wood carving is a simple technique. Depending on the size and type of wood being used, it might be carved with knives, or a wooden mallet would be used to strike a chisel cutting away bits of wood till the artist has shaped the form his mind sought.

It is best to keep in mind, that when choosing wood to carve you should try to use wood that is seasoned for at least a year or has been kiln-dried. Green wood (fresh) will dry rapidly when brought indoors and will develop cracks due to shrinkage.