Creative Woodworks & crafts 2002-09, страница 14

INSPIRING NEW PATTERNS FROM MARILYN CARMIN

Art that unites words of wisdom with nature

by Robert Becker

$ I have known and worked with Marilyn Carmin for over seven years, and have always^ I? enjoyed and admired her work. Her keen eye and love for nature, particularly wildlife, if have produced compelling wildlife patterns which have been transformed by lhousands''M of scroll saw enthusiasts into treasured heirlooms. Marilyn has also inspired manygp woodworkers with her wood selection and usage, often relief-culling thick slabs of beau-ft iy tiful hardwoods with irregular edges to bring her designs to life. These techniques arefm f well illustrated by the Eagle Family Plaque, (shown right) which was featured in tlxe'% I April 1997 issue of Creative Woodworks & Crafts. , A

I' Recently, Marilyn designed some wonderful new patterns combining superb wildlife, I art with various inspiring statements. When I first saw some of those finished projects, I'm | immediately felt their power and beauty. Undoubtedly, the words and images combined J| 1 convey a feeling of upliftment that transcends either element by itself.

Many of us feel deeply life's beauty as expressed in nature. For some, nature re.pre- f fi£:sents a transcendent or "divine" order at the heart of all creation. Marilyn's recent / W designs seem to reaffirm this perspective, leading me to observe thai if a "picture is f| worth a thousand words, " then a picture coupled with the right phrase or statement is P H worth ten thousand words'

Let s take a look at a few of Marilyn s most recent designs.

The bald eagle was chosen to be a symbol of honor and courage. Indeed., it is a powerful, majcslic bird of prey. It is noteworthy that when faced with a fierce storm, the eagle, unlike other birds, does not "hunker down" and hide. Rather, it flies mto the storm, using the strong winds to its advantage,

^Wolves have much to teach us. The structure of the wolf 'pack gives one wolf responsibility for the well being of every member. Therefore, the alpha wolf must embody sufficient i leadership traits lo keep the pack together and thriving.