The Farrier

Here is one I did back in 2002. As our Farrier comes around to give the horses a retread about every 6 weeks I thought he would make a good subject for a carving. Naturally I placed him back in the Old West and considering that commercial shoes probably weren't that readily available or affordable I have him making his own.
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In the scene he is working on the last shoe...redhot from the forge. Two finished shoes lay on the ground and another has been dropped in the bucket to cool off. I researched the tools and anvil to make sure of accuracy. The two punches at the back of the anvil are for making the nail holes in the shoe and if you look close you can see his hoof knife in the aprons side pocket. There is another hammer laying on the ground which is used to make the nail groove. The anvil is held to a piece of very old fence post I found on our property by four horseshoe nails.....real ones. The bucket is carved and filled with clear resin and that shoe is visible on the bottom. I can't make out just what the word is after "RED" on the bucket....lost in the fog of my memory. Whatever, it is it's a fictional bucket company in Jay, Oklahoma.
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I really enjoy doing these types of figures as once their done they tell a complete and accurate story from a humerous viewpoint which to me is the whole purpose of caricature carving.
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Broken Wrist Update: I had my first session with the therapist Wednesday. She was pleased with my progress so far and once the swelling is finally gone I should make pretty rapid progress. I sure hope so. I was down at the shop yesterday and while looking over a pile of partially finished pieces the urge to reach for Old Reliable and make some chips was hard to overcome.
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More photos in the Gallery and your comments are always appreciated.