Any Complaints - 2

As I mentioned before, this is a smaller version of the one I did earlier.  He stands about 10-11" tall compared to the original which came in at around 16".  While it's the same basic pose, the figure is different as is the apron design.  I try to keep everything original if possible and for those of you who sell your work, producing original work is a prime consideration to those who might collect it.  If you compare the two you can quickly see that while they might each have a coffee pot, gun, vest and cleaver, everything else is pretty distinct to each figure.  

There are other photos in the Gallery if you can find them. If some of you have found an easy way to locate the individual photo albums please let me and the others here know.  Again, I look forward to any comments. 

PLEASE NOTE: 
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Our great friend Bob Easton has given us a solution to finding a particular photo album.  Here's the solution:

"It's easy to understand your disappointment with what Google's done to photos. It's not too hard to find older sets ---as long as--- one knows a name to search for. Here's how I found the earlier version of "Any Complaints." The key is having a name, a complete name.

1. Open the "Blog Photo Gallery" link.
2. Then press CTRL+F (CMD+F on Macs) to open a search box.
3. Type in the name, "Any Complaints"

That quickly took me to a folder of 29 pictures."
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Also, remember to use the "Labels" feature on the right side of this Blog.  Just search for the type of carving or subject and "Presto" all Blog posts dealing with that word are brought up.  

Hopefully, this will help us track down certain photos.....at least until Google decided to change things again.

Thanks again Bob. 

Any Complaints? - 2

It's been quite a while since I did a Chuckwagon Cook  so I thought I would do another of this character but on a smaller scale.  As I mentioned earlier, I'm getting over a bad case of artist block so I guess you could say I'm easing back into it.

This Cookie stands about 12" tall with the base but still manages to capture most of the attitude of my earlier piece.  Some inconsiderate Brush Popper must have questioned the quality of the evening meal which didn't set well with prairie version of Emeril Legasse.  He'll no doubt get his attitude adjusted come Breakfast when he finds himself at the end of the chow line.

I'm not really sure what's next on the calendar but imagine it will probably be another Indian.  With spring chores building I just hope they don't crowd out my carving time.

I didn't place any additional photo in the Gallery as I can never seem to find them once I post them there.  Anyway, I hope you like this one and will look forward to your comments.

"Starbucks My Patootie!" - Finished

I finally finished this one this morning and it's been a struggle.  Old age has given me a cataract in my right eye which is the one my vision is centered on.  Doesn't bother me that much for distance viewing but up close it's a real bummer.  Trying to do fine detail, especially painting is extremely hard to get a good focus on the brush and the surface that I'm working on.  Judy and I will be getting our eyes tested shortly so maybe I can find out if it's time to get it taken care of.  Sorry to bore you with my medical problems, something I really hate to do as I've told almost everyone I know that if I ever start beginning my conversations with my health status to just take me out back and shoot me.

Anyway, I really like this piece, especially the face.  Every once once in a while I'll do a piece, as I've mentioned many times before, that really ends up being an example of my best work.  This is one of those.  I'm sure you all experience the same thing the more you carve.  The cup of Joe is made from copper with a soldered wire rim.  I put a wooden plug inside and then topped that off with clear epoxy painted Dark Burnt Umber and then topped that off with another thin application of epoxy which I left clear.  As you can see in the closeup photo in the Gallery it creates a nice effect. The cup is quite large compared to the coffee pot but as that cuppa mud is the theme of the piece that's okay.   I spent a little extra time on my watch chain by adding a fob on the end going into the vest buttonhole.  I put a drop of solder on it to give it a domed look and make it sparkle a bit more.  I think it looks neat.  The more I look at it though the more I think it needs to be painted gold as it doesn't quite match the chain.   Why didn't I do a full body?  Because I think the figure would have been just too big to be displayed in most homes.  I think this bust format displays all the necessary details in an interesting manner.   I will confess that I had hoped to do a much more involved design on the apron but after several attempts it just wouldn't happen.  That vision thing again.

So, I hope you like him as much as I do even if he didn't get that fancy apron.  There are lots of photos in the Gallery and I'll look forward to your comments as I always do.

Starbucks My Patootie!

Here's one I just finished this morning.  While I've done one similar to this before this one is much larger..standing almost 18" with the base.  I plan on a real neat apron design which should really make the carving.   Hope you like him.

"Sorry Boys! It's Beans Again!"

Whittled the shovel this morning to finish the major parts of this scene.  Still have to make some biscuits to go into the Dutch oven then it's off to the paint table.  I gave him a water bucket to put something in that right hand.  He can use it to douse that new fella who always complains when there's no meat involved.  It's empty now but I'll fill it with resin once the paint is dry.   It took me hours to balance that shovel so I could take the photo.  (Actually, I just put a drop of super glue on the base and a squirt of activator locked it in place.)  I'll cut through the top two bases to make it look as though it was stuck into the dirt.  You always need a shovel around the cook fire to move the hot coals around for the ovens and occasionally bang a head or two when the clean-up crew balks at their assigned duties.

The Woolaroc Museum is up there in cattle country so this wagon chef should be a hit.   Hope you like him too.  More photos in the Gallery.

"Any Complaints?" - Finished

Well, I put his watch in his vest pocket so he's ready for his debut!  I really like this one.  As I mentioned earlier, he's about 16" tall without the base so you can't miss him.  Also, using an old style shirt front instead of the usual neckerchief really takes him in a completely different direction than my normal cowboy figures.  I could have made him a lot more rough and dirty looking but I think a point is reached where such things start to detract from the figure as much as they add to it.  I did put a dribble of tobacco juice on his dicky so that should be enough.
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I've used my Turkey Brand flour sack before and as it's always been a crowd pleasure thought I'd do it again.  It's all done freehand with a square tipped brush for the lettering and just a small brush for the turkey.

There are quite a few photos in the associated album so check him out and let me know what you think.  Always appreciate your comments.

"Any Complaints?" Carving part Finished!

Better not say nothing bad about his biscuits!  This cook is packin'!   This was a fun figure to carve.  Being larger than normal I could spend a little more time on the details so I fitted him out with a revolver and a meat knife and cleaver.  I also gave him a false shirt front instead of the usual shirt and neckerchief.  It should look interesting when painted with his underwear showing behind it.  Might even toss in a few tobacco stains.

Anyway, hope you like him.  He should be a classic once he's applied his makeup!   As always, your comments are welcome and appreciated.

"Any Complaints?"

Here is the head for one I'm now working on.  He will be a Chuck Wagon cook not to open to any negative comments about his cooking.  He's also a little over sized than normal, standing about 16 inches all without the base.  I want to do some that will stand up to being placed on a display podium by themselves.   As with my previous painting style you might also note some changes in my carving techniques.  With this one I've tried to texture the mustache and hair a little different which works well on a larger figure.

Anyway, there are a  couple more photos in the Gallery and your comments are always appreciated.

UP & AT EM!

Here's a new Chuckwagon Cook I just finished.  I had hoped he would be my entry for the over 15" category but he missed it by 1/4"!!  Going to have to speak to the Ranch Foreman about hiring  cooks that don't measure up!
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Hope you like him and there are more photos in the Gallery.

Chuck's On Boys!

Here is a Chuckwagon cook I just finished.  He's holding that coffee pot we made earlier and also a new version of a kerosene lantern.  Still honing a method of making a lamp that I can share.  This one is pretty close...a couple more tweeks and I think I'll have it.  There are more photos in the gallery and your comments are welcome as always.

Let's Make A Coffee Pot- Part 1

I'm in the midst of doing another Chuckwagon Cook and being as I've already covered the Cook I thought doing a few videos concentrating on some of the associated details might be a good idea.  So, here is how I go about making a Chuckwagon Coffee Pot.  It's not a hard thing to make but getting it right is something we want to do so our cook has the right equipment to turn out a good cup of Joe!  And you certainly can'd do a Chuckwagon Cook without a coffee pot in there somewhere.   Here's the video:
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http://www.vimeo.com/25779012
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The photo to the Cook on the left is one I did quite a few years ago. I can't make out the date which is a good reminder to make sure your photos capture those important facts.  He's got his coffee made, cups in hand, and is waiting for the boys to crawl out of their bedrolls and stumble over for a cup of wake-up.  As Arbuckles coffee was the brand any good cook would choose I included a case of it and a opened package on top.  The cups are tin.  Overall a pretty neat little scene.
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I hope you can follow along and carve one of your own and comments are welcome as always.  Here's the video link:

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.

Carving A Cowboy Bust - All Finished!

Ready for the big dance, Buckeye's got on his best bandana, some of that fancy toilet water that's guaranteed to make the girls do a doubletake, and he even brushed his tooth! If this don't work he's thinking seriously about volunteering for line-camp duty as there's no hope left!

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This little bust turned out really nice, especially the base idea. I like it so well that I'm going to try a 3/4 figure along the same line. Maybe a Chuckwagon cook.

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Lots of photos in the album and comments welcome as always.

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!