Hi, my name is Lupin and I'd like to tell you about my wood carving. I've always been interested in animals, so naturally animal figurines were the first carvings I made. I learned the basics of carving from books. I first sketch my image on paper which is glued onto a piece of wood. Then I hand carve around the picture with a coping saw. I then carve in the details with a knife. Lastly, the peice is sanded. Preferring the look of the natural wood, I never paint my pieces. When I first started carving, I used boards purchased from a lumber yard and later started using scrap lumber that was in our yard, like old 2 by 4's. My carpenter uncle started giving me scrap lumber from his jobs, and other people started giving me wood. One Christmas, I successfully experimented carving ornaments for gifts. I used 1/2" thick boards, cut out circles, and then carved a design in the center. I further developed this idea by making four-sided
candle holders.

My current wood carvings
A new technique I have developed is carving layers to create intricate 3-D scenes with a background, middle and foreground. I cut a piece of wood into slices, using each slice to create different parts of a scene. Finally, the slices are glued back together. I started using tree branches for my sculpture scenes. I find downed branches (broken or trimmed) while walking my dog. The roundness of the branches adds depth to the 3-D effect. I enjoy working with different kinds of wood, and have collected over thirty different varieties. Some types of wood are light in color, and some are dark. Some have a few different shades, and others are striped. I enjoy seeing how the natural colors of the wood show up in my designs. I sometimes will shellac some of the wood to accent different parts of a scene, such as a waterfall.

Please visit my Etsy.com site to view and purchase peices from my latest collection.

You may also email me at zoelupin@hotmail.com