Old Gabe

I'm still in the process of clearing heads off the workbench so with this one I thought it would be a reasonable representation of the Mountain Man Jim Bridger, or Old Gabe as he was known.   Naturally, a little artistic licence will be used to make the figure more interesting but that's okay, at least I think it is.  There's nothing wrong with making a fella better looking that he actually was. 

Several months ago I bought a Mountain Man's blanket capote and this will give me a chance to use it as a reference.  So, let's see if he turns out as nice as I think he will.

Comments welcome as always. 

Buckskin Billy - Painted

Yay!   Finally finished!  Boy....this painting is getting harder and harder.  The old eyes just aren't what they used to be.  He still turned out pretty nice and certainly a bright and colorful piece.  I hope that you also like how he turned out and will look forward to any comments.  Now, on to the next one once I figure out what that will be. 

Buckskin Billy

Just finished working on this one yesterday.  The carved feather was still wet with primer so I used a real one for the photo.  I tried something new this time by adding some beaded piping along the edge where the body of the shirt meets the fringe of the sleeve.  Should look pretty good when it's painted.  I also added a beaded trim around the top of the top hat to give it some extra sparkle once painted.  

I had done the head as a video project back in July of last year.  If you want to see how it was carved just look for "Carving a Caricature Head" here on the Blog or at the Vimeo video link.  I carve a lot of heads with no real end view in sight as to what they will become.  It's sort of like a painter making sketches.  It not only give you great practice that improves your abilities but it also gives you references to use when contemplating a future project.   With this one I wondered whether a Mountain Man would be smoking a cigar....whether that would actually have taken place.  Doing a little research showed that they were popular so I'm sure they made an appearance in the Rockies, no doubt available at the yearly Rendezvous.  

Whatever, I hope you like him and will look forward to any comments. 

Billy Black Elk

Here's a new one.  With the walnut base he stands about 12" tall to the tip of the feathers.  I was a little worried about the colors as they were a little dark compared to other pieces but it turned out pretty nice.   A lot of people ask me why I never do a smiling Indian....well, back in the period I try to represent, they didn't really have that much to smile about.  Anyway, this piece should silence those comments...at least for a little while.  The gold tooth makes his smile just a little brighter!

I added a beaded ring around the top of the hat to add a little interest and also used some texture material to soften the braid wraps.  I left the fan feathers a single color so it wouldn't detract from the overall figure.

I hope you like him and will look forward to any comments.