Here is my first carving!!

Back in the early 1980’s, my wife and I worked for Master Carver, Jules A. Bouillet from Vincennes, Indiana. We called him Tony.

Pam and I promoted his work through out the United States. He entered his original carvings in completion in the Ward Brothers world-class championships in Maryland and the Birds in Art Show in Wausau, Wisconsin. His works have been exhibited in museums in Scotland, England and California.

One day, I had the audacity to ask Tony to teach me to carve. He grabbed a 4” by 4” piece of basswood and tossed it to me and said, “1st lesson, go carve a ball!” I was ticked by his dismissal of my desire to learn how to carve!

About three weeks later, I brought him the carving you see in this post. I think he had even forgotten about the assignment. He looked at it and said, “What did you learn?” I answered, “It’s harder than hell to carve a ball!” He laughed and then told me that many people had asked him to teach them, but they could even carve a ball. He said, “But you have a sense of symmetry and I will teach you about carving decoys.” But that was the only training he ever gave me using the wood.

When I would go with him to completions and art shows, he would take me around to each entry and engage me in looking at other carver’s work. He would ask, “What do you see? What’s the difference between this one and that one.” Tony would point out how the eyes were set in the heads, how the feathering and detail worked or didn’t work. He was teaching me how to see! The carving would come from my ability to see.

Developing the ability to see, is something I work on everyday. I often will take a piece I am working on and ask my wife what she thinks. She often will look up and say something like, “the tail is too long, or the color is not correct.” At first, I got upset with her critique, but then I realized, she can see, and when I give a second look I realize she is correct.

When I worked in hospice and elder care, I would have to chart on the patient’s record about my visit. Most of the time, my colleagues were using medical terms and diagnoses in their charting. One day I ask a doctor friend about charting and she said, “Tom, forget about the terms and diagnoses, chart what you see. Use what your eyes are telling you!”

Our ability to SEE!! Many people will tell me what they think I want to hear about my carving, “oh it’s beautiful or how wonderful.” Only a few will really “see” my carving and engage with it. I want my work to grab your attention and open your eyes. It is a practice we need as we age.

Learning to see what’s really going on, not only on the outside, but what’s going on inside. As we age, we need to learn how to sharpen our eye sight and cut away the parts of our life. We need to see and learn to understand and appreciate how we have been shaped and form in this life.

The 2nd picture is a pintail decoy. It was my second carving.