Retrospect

To my shame I had not noted your work before. It is beautiful, every piece. welcome to the family.

-- RTB. "dumb animals are not stupid they simply can't talk "

Hey Eli
This is another fine carving,fine lines and good details. Well done.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Another show stopper ! If you look at carving like a couple Dancing you must be a great dancer.

Job Well Done!!

-- Rj's Woodworks,San Jose & Weed Ca,

very cool piece

-- Dan Wiggins

Nice carvings you do.

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

Very very nice I like the tranquility of this piece keep up your good work.Alistair

-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease

Edit (for another 58 minutes)

Eli, I always wanted to learn how to carve, so I asked an elderly wood carver one day how to whittle an elephant. He said that was easy…….just whittle away everything that doesn’t look like an elephant. Guess what? I never ended up with an elephant! I will admit, I have done a little whittleing, but no carving. big difference!. Your work is beautiful!

—John @ Myrtle Beach

-- John @ Myrtle Beach

Beautiful! Very nice!!

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

Thanks for your comments.
Huff, When you look at the result of my pieces, you may think by mistake that it is easy for me, but the true is that I struggle with each piece a lot, sometimes I need a break for few days to look at it from another point of view in order to see what does not look like what I want the get at the end and whittle it away. So don’t give up. mark on a piece of wood the edge front side of the elephant and whittle it all the way out, than mark the edge of the side view of the elephant and whittle it all the way out. Now you have to round the corners :)
I hear you shouting “another elderly wood carver giving me advices”, you are right, but the idea is, don’t give up, try again, learn about curving from tutorials, magazines, friend etc.
Eli

-- Eli Adamit, Israel

Very nice, someday I’d like to carve an abstract figure like this.

I have a real long list. It’s a good thing I keep it in my mind, because I couldn’t afford the paper.<(:O}#

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

The thigh to abdomen sweep is so sensuous. I can feel it. That’s spooky. Moving.

I’m glad you didn’t work the wood to a “machined finish” if you get my meaning. The texture you worked give her an organic feel.

The tension between the hard angularity and full feminine curves is dramatic, and I mean that in the theatrical sense. Even though she is tired and pensive now I can feel that she is going to get up and get on with ‘her’ life. Like Liv Ulman in “The Emigrants” after her daughter dies.

There is also a fantastic potential fecundity in the cup/vessel arrangement of her hips/bottom. I get a ‘sacred chalice’, the holy grail image.

Thank you for this work. It’s made my day.

-- Knowledge Is Responsibility

beautiful piece!

how is working with Ficus? is it soft and forgiving? never thought about using it for woodworking. theres lots of it in Israel where I used to grow up.

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Hi MarktheWoodButcher, I enjoyed reading your scholarly analysis. I must admit that this project was my first project in woodcarving and I copied this figure from a sculpture made from plaster and painted black (made by another artist). I become a prisoner of this sculpture as you felt. So I decided to learn how to work with wood and how to compete with three dimensions on this figure even it is not easy with this one for a beginner.
All my rest projects are my own design or done according to a picture of a portrait Hi PurpLev (לב) , you are right the Ficus is very widespread in Israel and a little bit soft, so it gives me another aspect and difficulty in learning to carve wood
Thank you

-- Eli Adamit, Israel

For the love of Mike!! Don’t paint me with the “scholarly” Brush! Please!

-- Knowledge Is Responsibility