Rise & Shine Boys!

As I mentioned a couple posts back, I was going to try a 3/4 bust. The reason I wanted to do this is because I like to always push the envelope a little by coming up with new or different ways to present a figure. Another reason is to lessen the price of a figure and this certainly should do that. I found it was really amazing how much more quickly I could complete this piece compared to the time it would have taken to do the whole body. I think once the name plate is in place it should make a nice presentation. So.....I'd really like your impressions and thoughts about doing a figure this way. Be honest.....I'm not looking for atta-boys!
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The theme of this piece is that it's just before sunrise and one of the cook's responsibilities is to roust the wranglers for the days work. He's got the biscuits baked and the coffee is hot so it's time to stop dreaming about that new filly down at the saloon. So get your butt out of the bedroll and your tack squared away.......we've got cows to move!
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Comments please .... more photos in the album!

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Update! Just loaded in the photos of him painted up. I think he turned out pretty good!

Cookie's Gold

Who says that dining on the prairie wasn't that great? Just check out this coosie's menu. We've got beans! We've got coffee! And we've got Cookies golden and crusty nuggets.

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You will probably recognize this pose as being similar to the piece titled "Burnt Biscuits". I actually did this one first and it gave me the thought of the other. Either way there is a lot going on in each scene.

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More photos in the album and comments welcome. Now where's the jelly?

Cookie's Sunday Treat

Another cook...this time whipping up a special treat for the boys....a couple of delicious apple pies. One is in the oven bubbling away and the other will soon to be baking. I put a paring knife in his hand as he's just finished trimming the top crust and adding a few vent holes.

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Having baked quite a few pies off the back of a Chuckwagon myself I can attest that you haven't tasted how great a pie can taste until you've had a piece baked out in the open.

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More photos in the album and comments welcome.

Early Morning Biscuits

I'm still in the "C's" and that means there are more cooks on the way and here is another version of one of my favorite characters. He's standing by his Dutch Oven, ready to apply some disipline to any wrangler who might think he can sneek in and grab a biscuit before the sun comes up.

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Chuckwagon Cooks are really fun to make as there are so many little details you can add to the scene. Also, the flour sack apron really gives one the chance to practice their painting techniques.

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More photos in the album and comments welcome.

Burnt Biscuits

One thing for sure....when the boys come riding in at daybreak after a hard night in the saddle and see the carbonized texture of these sinkers any atta-boys the cook managed to accumulate will quickly disappear!

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I did this one back in '02 and believe me it was fun not only in creating this scene it but also in reflecting back on the many times the same thing happened to me when baking biscuits in a dutch oven. But there is one thing about cooking outside in the open and that is that even though you might put a little extra char on your muffins they still taste pretty good!

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More photos in the album and comments welcome.....about the carving! Not about my cooking expertise!

Beans For Breakfast

As I mentioned before, if I come across a piece that I think deserves a post of it's own I'll seperate it out from the others. Here's one of those:

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I did this piece back around 2002 and immediately sold it the fellow we bought our Chuckwagon from. We were both members of the Missouri Cowboy Poets Society and have parked our wagons next to each other on a number of occasions when we're out having fun at various Cowboy events.

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Hope you enjoy him. It looks like he knows what he's doing!

Woodcarvings, B.D. (Before Digital)

As I'm kind of bummed out on just about everything at the moment I thought I would start something I've been wanting to do for quite some time and that is to scan and upload all my old pre-digital photos to my computer and at the same time flesh out my Blog albums.

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I'm sure you've seen a lot of them already but I'm also sure there are lots that will be new to you. They'll be placed in albums titled "Scanned Photos" and if there is a piece I think deserves special attention I'll give it an album of it's own along with a description.

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Today we made it through the A's so there's lots more coming!