In the world of art, masterpieces are created to convey the message and notion of an artist. In literature, authors write books, novels, and stories. In painting, painters create portraits, sketches, depictions and other visual renderings. By merely reading or taking a look at their works of arts, you can have an idea about their characteristics and views. This is also true when we talk about the art of carving. Wood sculpture figure and appearance are based on the personalities and beliefs of its creator.
Wood carving or sculpting is not just a simple thing to do. It requires special skills. These skills could be learned professionally by attending carving lessons or through informal transfer of knowledge by your mentors, colleagues or elders. In a family, if a father has the talent in wood sculpting there’s a big possibility that one of his sons will also be a good sculptor someday. Sometimes, exposure to a certain task like carving would make way to acquire the skills naturally. This means that even an ordinary individual or you too could be an expert in wood sculpture.
There are several ways on how to sculpt an image. You can make use of a paper model or a carving machine. These two are being used by some woodwork manufacturers for business purposes especially if they do not have skillful wood carvers. But as you may know, these artificial ways of carvings have limitations and could not be considered as pieces of art works in its strict sense. Real experts in wood sculpture are doing the task manually with the use of basic tools like a sharp chisel and a little hammer. The hammer is used to aid the sculptor in chiseling. This kind of carving takes a long time and attention. Obviously, concentration is a must in creating a masterpiece. No wonder, handmade carvings are costly.
The choice of wood material to be used is also very important. Normally, hard wood is not an option in doing this art piece. It requires soft wood to avoid the possibilities of having cracks in chiseling all the way through to accomplish this three-dimensional handwork flawlessly. Anyway, there are several resources of good wood materials that you can choose from to have an incredible piece of wood sculpture.
This form of sculpture has an unlimited selection of subjects to work on. You can actually make anything under the sun as basis of your designs, depending on your motifs. Popular ones are birds and animals. Eagles and horses are two of the most famous models. I am sure you have already seen these kinds of wood works in different sizes. You can also apply your carving skills on doors. With artistic designs, the main entrance of your home will surely look so elegant. How about carving on pillars? Well, it would be more pleasant to the naked eyes if pillars have magnificent designs. But it would entail much physical efforts and time. Expect for hundred of drops of sweats before you can finally accomplish this task.
While it is true that wood carvings could be a great pastime activity, innovative wood sculpture could not be found anywhere, anytime. As carving itself is an art, those who are into it must be so imaginative and need to have overflowing ideas to create distinctive designs. Any figure that is to be chiseled into life through wood piece would mean achievement for its creator. His work of art actually spells the craftsmanship within him. Isn’t great to see a product of nature imitating nature itself through a creative mind and artistic hands? Appreciate the beauty of nature. Value any wood sculpture.