Carving A Crocus

During the winter many afternoons we sit at the dining room table get out our knives and carve.

Far Guy likes to carve flowers.  He likes the design process and the challenge.

He wanted to carve a Crocus.  He talked about it for a year.  He had no pattern so he designed his own.  What is the worst that can happen?   You end up with firestarter.

In front are petals and two leaves.   A crocus usually has six petals.  The one in back is a special crocus as it has seven petals…we even have one with five!  He scoured the Net and looked at colors of crocus.  He decided that he likes the ones tipped in dark purple the best.

 

The rare five petaled crocus.

Crocus in progress.

It was a fun project.  He did all the carving.  I did the final touch up sanding, he painted them with gesso and then turned them over to me for the final painting…as I painted them I started out light and they got darker and darker as he urged me on….darker please!  The stamens are toothpicks rolled in glue and then sawdust and finally painted.  Each petal and leaf attachment are reinforced with pins….toothpicks with glue on them.

It may have been winter outside, but inside we had blooms and a few finished projects to gift to friends!