The repetiton of the cut in carving (gouge, chisel or knife cutting over and over again) has struck me for a long time as a kind of mantra. It gives a pattern within which it is easy to slip off into thought. You also need to be pretty philosophical if a bit of carving breaks off unexpectedly!
Anyway, the most recent newsletter had a couple of sections which really caught my eye and I'd like to share them here, for those who can't see the original newsletter. Thanks to Chris for sharing them with his readers...
"Top
10 Secrets of Woodcarving!
I
scribbled this list, with it's notes, on a scrap of paper about 25
years ago. I came across it the other day and realised that, since
then, I hadn't changed my mind at all!
I
was thinking of the qualities that I believe go to making up a really
good carver: things good carvers consider as they carve, or with
which they work; things students should always bear in mind.
1
Do
it! Practise.
Do it a lot.
2
Persistence!
Don't stop.
3
Regular
steps!
Incremental challenges.
4
Preparation!
You
can't have too much research, which includes drawing and modelling.
5
Tools!
The
right ones, and enough of them.
6
Correct
bevels and edge!
Sharp tools, cutting efficiently.
7
Work
from the tool! The
tools
are
the carving.
8
Slicing
cuts! The
'cut of the carver'.
9
Carve
the form into the spaces!
Not the other way round.
10
Light and Shadow! Gives
3 dimensionality."
The other bit that particularly stood out was this Taoist poem:
Chuang
Tzu: Poem of the Woodcarver
trans.
Thomas Merton
Khing,
the master carver, made a bell stand
Of
precious wood. When it was finished,
All
who saw it were astounded. They said it must be
The
work of spirits.
The Prince of Lu said to the master carver:
“What
is your secret?”
Khing
replied: “I am only a workman:
I
have no secret. There is only this:
When I began to think about the
work you commanded
I
guarded my spirit, did not expend it
On
trifles, that were not to the point.
I
fasted in order to set
My
heart at rest.
After
three days fasting,
I
had forgotten gain and success.
After
five days
I
had forgotten praise or criticism.
After
seven days
I
had forgotten my body
With
all its limbs.
“By
this time all thought of your Highness
And
of the court had faded away.
All
that might distract me from the work
Had
vanished.
I
was collected in the single thought
Of
the bell stand.
“Then
I went to the forest
To
see the trees in their own natural state.
When
the right tree appeared before my eyes,
The
bell stand also appeared in it, clearly, beyond doubt.
All
I had to do was to put forth my hand
and
begin.
“If
I had not met this particular tree
There
would have been
No
bell stand at all.
“What
happened?
My
own collected thought
Encountered
the hidden potential in the wood;
From
this live encounter came the work
Which
you ascribe to the spirits.”
***************
Chuang
Tzu was a 3-4th century BCE Chinese Taoist.
Chris Pye has a website which can be found by clicking on this link: www.chrispye-woodcarving.com
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