The Craft Draft: Whiddle While You Work

The art of wood carving has been around since the beginning of time and in all cultures. In fact, it is still a popular and wide spread craft in today’s modern world.

According to “Info Please’s” website, there are a variety of woods that are used in wood carving, depending on their hardness and grain. The most common woods used are boxwood, pine, pear, willow, walnut, oak, and ebony. The tools used to carve and shape the wood are; simple gouges, chisels, wooden mallets, and pointed instruments.

Wood carvings throughout time have not been the best preserved of arts, however ancient examples have been found in Egypt due to its dry climate.

What I love about wood carvings is that they can lie within many genres of art. There can be abstract carvings that are just as planned out and beautiful as practical carvings.

My great grandma Molly Jenson was an artist. One of her many talents included wood carving. My entire life we’ve had one of her carvings displayed in our home and it’s only made my love for art grow.

Their history connects the world even though the world has never been connected. Many ancient civilizations carved wood to use in everyday life, rituals, and to please the eye. The history is preserved and remembered in wood carvings of today, and has also evolved to fit the aspects of modern life.

Tags: duluth east, greyhound blogs