Time in the “Studio”

First of all I have to tell you that Daylight Saving Time messes up my circadian rhythm and I get crankier than normal.  I am already exhausted and it has only been one day..my body doesn’t know when to sleep or eat.  Chance was even feeling it last night..he was hungry at five..and when the pager went off at it’s usual time at six and he had already eaten he was really confused. It is going to be a tough week.  I hate the dark..and everyday from now until December 21 has more of it everyday.

I need sunshine everyday in order to be semi non-bitchy.

Hence time in the “Studio.” I had a special project I was working on.  Christmas Ornaments for three little girls..special girls as Jen is God Mother to one.

I start with a piece of Cottonwood bark.  Can you see a Church in this one?  Far Guy has pre cut a chunk for me…I marked the roof line and where the chimney will go.

I usually use a gouge for this part. See just like that you have a roof and a chimney.

Then you have to sort out your eaves and your walls, and steps if you have room for them.  Cottonwood bark is very temperamental, sometimes you just have to go with the flow and do whatever the wood tells you.  It will speak to you if you are listening..no I am not nuts..yet.

 

Then you add some features..a door, a window and some shingles on the roof and a cross because it is a church.

There I now have three, ready for Jen to add the final touches ..she will wood burn the little girls names in the bottom and paint them however she wants and then seal them.

 

The backs of the ornaments are hollowed out..we have a number of small Dremel type tools each with different purposes.  Each ornament takes just about two hours to carve.

This is where Far Guy sits across from me.  We used to just use the small table on the right..then Far Guy rolled over the patio table from the house. We will be able to use the “studio” on sunny days for the next month or so.  I will be carving a few ornaments for a give away the first part of December..so stay tuned. One thing about the “studio” it is already a huge mess and you can hardly make it any worse that it already is. His “studio” used to be the greenhouse where he grew vegetables in the spring ..now it is just a sunny warm space to work out of the wind.

We still go once a week to carving at the local library..we are taking a new class ..a Santa Carving out of a huge piece of Cottonwood bark ..faces are really difficult but our instructor is a real gem..and I hope mine looks like a person when I get done:)