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Cedar Tree Ducks

My uncle is a wood carver. It is just something he picked up as a boy and continued into his now 85 years. All the family has been gifted with one or more of his many beautiful birds or animals over the years. Nevertheless, I think the pair of ducks that he carved out of an old cedar tree in my grandmother's backyard is what I love best. When we were kids, my cousins and I would ascend that big old tree and just talk and talk for hours - oh, the secrets that old tree knew! At times, we would eat our lunch up on the tree and hide away from the younger kids. There are times also that I would go up to my favorite branch unaccompanied and think about stuff like nature and the tree itself - odd choice for an eight year old girl. Under that tree was where I kissed someone for the first time. The branches of that tree became a shoulder to cry on and relieved me of my sadness as well. After everyone grew up, had families of their own and our grandmother departed this life, the cedar tree's life expired also, so it was removed. My uncle just couldn't stand to see it go to waste, so he took the wood and created many wonderful things from it. That grand old cedar tree would be satisfied of how its legacy has become an artwork, I can tell.

It was the beginning of my love for anything carved out of wood. Over the years, I have made quite a few collection of these carved wooden birds and put some of them in the trees in the garden. A few of them seemed real, I had to take second looks even third and fourth to identify which was real and which was just wood! They put in a great deal of shade to the garden and something to catch the attention of animals who are intrigued by it.

As old as man's existence on earth, just about every ethnic group identified, figures, totems, traditional masks, crafts on art, and handy pieces has been carved out of wood.

When wars and barbarism in the Dark Ages were widespread, the development of woodcrafts fluctuated. Working on wood carvings was done almost only in the Monasteries where there was no threat. In some parts of Europe from 700-900 A.D., the art of crafting images were not allowed because they use pagan gods, symbols and emblems as a model. A lot of artists moved to other parts of Europe. They found shelter in the Monasteries where they were able to craft and so they did relief carvings on wooden panels and doors. Craftsmen in the years following 1000 A.D. were more articulate in their craft because they were not penalized anymore.

Magazines, books, websites and organizations that teaches woodcarving are a very good source of learning. Talk to a woodcarver first, that's one of the best way to start. Be sure that he is eager to share that wisdom to you. Apparatuses used for wood sculpting have come so far, making the craft easier, quicker and more encouraging.

If you pick woodcarving as a leisure you'd like to work on, please use materials not from a living tree. There is an abundance of extinct trees that have already been cut by others that will surely be a surplus to your requirements. No need to kill a live one when there are already so many lifeless ones on the ground.

Somebody is sure to have carved one. That is a good option to take if you are like me, with no talent for that and no time to spare, but loves carved wooden birds!

Article Source: GardenGap.com

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