Female Torso

Very nice. Amazing work.

-- Huntville, Alabama

A very pleasing form. I had heard of using vinegar and steel wool for staining but had no idea it could look that nice. I am going to have to try that out.

-- Gary, South Central Wisconsin. So much to learn, so little time!

Nice carving. Looks like the ebonizing worked very well on pear. what’s wrong with Bradford Pears?

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

That looks great. Amazing detail. It looks ike you can see back muscles.

-- Father of two sons. Both Eagle Scouts.

This is very dynamic looking, a combination of the form and color. I totally agree with you in regards to the Bradford Pears, they get about the right size and then the first strong wind rips them in half because of the V-crotches. Like you said… Better on display than in the garden. Did you use a half round from the trunk? Great piece!

So Beautiful. You’re right, the pose enhances your interest in the way you perceive it. I was wondering. There’s nothing to indicate scale. What is the size of it?

-- The smell of wood, coffee in the cup, the wife let's me do my thing, the lake is peaceful. http://web.me.com/deceiver6/Deceiver/Craftsman_on_the_lake/Craftsman_on_the_lake.html

beautiful…

-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.

Very nice, you can almost tell the scale by the wrinkles in the fabric used for background.

-- "so much to learn and so little time"..

Great Job, Beautiful!!!

-- Dennis Zongker

Very nice work here.
Great finish, I must try that.
Thanks for sharing this.
Rod

-- Rod Baltimore Ontario

Good job, was the pear wood hard to carve?
thanks for the post

-- Can't never could do anything, to try is to advance.

Bradford Pears are quite common in our area. They are easily blown and broken in storms. I’ve often wondered about how well the wood would work in a project.

This is a quality work of art.

-- Randy, Tupelo, MS ~ May I become more like the Master Carpenter every day.

Wow! On the next one you do, any chance you could post a series of the work in progress? I’d love to see the sorts of techniques you’re using to get there!

-- Dan Lyke, Petaluma California, http://www.flutterby.net/User:DanLyke

Nicely done. It’s hard to go wrong with a carving of a nude and you’ve done the wood justice. The Bradford Pear is pretty when it’s in bloom and has a symmetrical shape that municiple landscapers love. Now there’s a nice use for a former pear tree!

-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe

Thanks for all the kind comments!

Daniel- It would be fun to make everyone guess at the scale….but I won’t (it is about six inches tall).

Jimthecarver- The pear was pretty easy to carve initially. I didn’t run my moisture meter on it, but it was mid-green (had seasoned in the firewood stack for about 9 mos.). Pardon the pun, but I fleshed out the carving with a rotary burr. Once I had the basic shape, I left it alone for a couple of days. When I started carving again it was like concrete! That has been my experience with Pear. When the surface “oxidizes” it is almost too hard to carve, but right under the surface it gets easy again. That’s probably why Pear is notorious for cracking and splitting.

Glad I was late. Six inches tall! A lot smaller than I thought it was. That would be a nice size though for taking with you and working on. Really beautiful shape, nice wood, great proportions, really super.

-- mtnwild (Jack), It's not what you see, it's how you see it.

Amazing work DocT, a masterpiece. I also imagined it way bigger than it actually is.

-- Jojo, shopless in Kyoto · http://twitter.com/kagushokunin

Cool piece, i never heard of the vinegar deal, i’m defiantly going to try that.

-- Wood and Glass they kick (well you know) Have a great day - Dug

wow, nice work. i love that you took “trash” and made a treasure.

‘Beautiful sculpture, the form is almost perfect. I’ve seen that somewhere before.

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

It’s too bad they develop the perfect looking fruit to the detriment of all the other qualities. Here in WA they developed the perfect Red Delicious apple with eye appeal for the grocery shopper, but it has no flavor, short shelf life and should be avoided if you want an apple.

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

well done

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

I would have guessed it at near scale. Six inches, wow! Now allow me to compliment you on your photography talent too!

-- Randy, Tupelo, MS ~ May I become more like the Master Carpenter every day.

Randy- Thanks, I spent nearly the entire weekend trying to improve my photography. Hopefully my future posts will benefit!

Very nice ebonized pair.

-- DocK, WV

Outstanding…

-- Cov, Loomis, CA, http://www.covingtonwoodworks.com

Fantastic form and color…I was trying to guess the wood species such as Olive wood , before reading your post. The color is just right for the piece : )

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

Amazing.

-- crafty ladies love wood too!