Boatshed – @ Lady Bay, SA

Elder 3

Shaping and re-shaping; embracing limitations.
Eucalyptus camaldulensis, River Redgum is a local wood – worth carving, even though the grain is capricious. I remind myself (yet again) of the Wabi Sabi philosophy: celebrating imperfection….knowing when to stop.

Elder 2

Lengths and breadths of Red Gum for a series: Elder. They will be vertical low-relief sculptures, or carvings. Low relief requires strong side light – and after years of reflection, I have ‘alighted’ on an idea that might solve the problem. Or not. We shall see….

Yew

Preparing ribs for a second lute body. Fortunately, I already have the (perspex) templates. The wood is Yew; the soundboard will made be of European Spruce, or King William Pine.

Circle 2

Here is the final practice run – before I tackle the real thing. The scrap of wood is Huon Pine.
Still a bit rough, but getting less rough…so I tell myself.

Bit by bit

This project fulfills Dad’s philosophy of ‘bit by bit’. I devote a maximum of fifteen minutes each day to the sawing of Pink Gum, the toughest wood around.
It also illustrates the associated observation: ‘less is more’.
I envisage three boat sculptures (assuming the wood is sound) – and on the way, get plenty of time to think about what might be….