Creative Woodworks & crafts 1997-08, страница 51
By Ivan Whillock do not break down as they are carvcd and that, once completed, the work still has stability. Viewing one of Marvin's carvings is a splendid lesson on how to connect cross-grain elements to give them support. Notice the crow bar in the carving Unexpected Turn of Events (see page 68). It goes across the grain, but it is also connected to other elements in the carving in five places, in cffect, Marvin's carvings tend to look more fragile than they actually are. Carving as caricature Many of Marvin's carvings are narratives, with a humorous punch line. In Yard Work, a man is seen lounging in a wheelbarrow, watching a portable TV. Apparently, he should be doing the yard work because his wife, with an angry look on her face, is trudging toward him. But the drama has only begun: the woman, with all of her attention focused on her husband, is just about to step on the upturned rake, and we all knowf what will happen then! Any humorous situation that Marvin has either experienced or might imagine can serve as inspiration: from pool players puzzling over a shot to carpenters trying to rip an impossibly-warped board. Recently, Marvin broke his tape dispenser. Most of us would just go out and buy a new one—problem solved. But not Marvin Marvin Kaisersatt, the award-winning caricature, carver from Faribault, Minnesota, loves a challenge. While most other caricature carvers assemble individually carved pieces for their complicated works, Marvin chooses a less traveled route. Amazingly, he creates his eye-popping carvings, with all their intricate detail, from a single block of wood. The challenge of the grain When used as an artistic medium, wood can offer many specific challenges. As most woodworkers know, wood is strong along the length of the grain but fairly weak across it. A hammer handle, for ^g^B^^^w example, would easily break if the grain were going across its width rather than down its length. In a carving, thin ele-ments set on the cross grain can be very j fragile. When Marvin Kaisersatt plans a can-'- | irtg, he tries to keep most of the projecting ;, m elements going with the grain, He is care- ||p ' ^ ful to design internal support for the frag- | i ite elements that must go across the grain. ift§ft§|j£P The challenge of making an intricate carv- IjflL^ tug from a single block of wood is not ^|| only the technical one of making cuts in fffflHHH hard-to-reach areas, but also one of ^^^^^^ designing the work so that thin elements 'wfeSreaSas Yard Work, a humorous exaggeration that doesn't overstep the boundaries of good taste. August, 1997 |
