The Form

Starting a new project is exciting but can also be daunting – looking at a rough stone and seeing the form suited to that particular shape of rock can take days or minutes.

A “GOOD EYE” is needed and is something that can’t be taught.  Debra has taught carving classes and can tell who has it and who does not right away.  Debra has a “Very good eye” honed by experience and knowledge of subjects dear to her.

After “seeing” the form in the stone, Debra draws what she can see on the stone with a wax pencil –  over and over and on paper to visualize the size and proportion.  She has  been an illustrator of wildlife most of her life so knowledge of the animal and how to proportion it comes pretty natural to her.   Click the picture to show full size:

Taking off parts with regular wood saws, mallet and chisels can take weeks on big projects.  Working with hand tools is time consuming but satisfying work. 

Drawing on the stone over and over as the carving progresses lets Deb see how she wants to proceed, and as the details become finer the process continues using wood rasps and smaller and smaller files.  

Using a technique of not polishing parts of the stone gives a two toned effect.   See it on Debra’s carvings where the base and the subject look like separate pieces but are unpolished and polished stone together.

Although Debra has carved many of the Harbor seal faces, it’s still one her favorites to do –  the reaction of people to the carving is one of the best joys in all her works – the big deep eyes of the seal draw people in as a reminder of the trips spent on the waters of the coast.

Being one of her most popular pieces means that she does them a lot and have pieces cut to size for easier carving and pricing.   Click the picture to show full size:

They  are 4 and 1/2 inches long, the next size up is 6 inches long –  on this size Debra has carved the eye lids carefully to add an extra character to the carvings.  They get bigger form here up to life size at about 10 inches long for the carving.  Variations include a bit of the back showing and one of a kind larger sizes.  Ask about the different sizes we hand-carve with the seal heads.

Another artist creates the glass base for the seals.  They are not attached but together and add the effect of the seal breaking the surface of the water – completing the illusion perfectly.   Click the picture to show full size:

Also about the water effect on the base of the seals – Debra has glass bases representing the water.  They are melted glass and are an expensive &  time consuming process.