Month: September 2024

Each would-be boat awaits its destiny. As Dad used to say: patience is the most aggressive (powerful) virtue….

Sam and I strolled northwards a few weeks ago. Not a breath of wind. As you can see, the estuary looks tranquil –  but there is plenty of water flowing from the catchment. Note the wedge of late-winter sky to the south: gradations of colour (or bokashi) straight out of a Hiroshige woodblock print….

This is the first of a series. The wood is Eucalyptus camaldulensis, River Red gum: an unsuitable material for detailed low-relief carving….but after forty or so years, I am accustomed to the challenge.  Still plenty of work to do with palm chisels, miniature files (rifflers) and home-made sanding sticks. It’s a ‘bit by bit’ job:  a sort of fine-tuning….

I have been practicing the art of going in circles. The edge of this particular  rose design is usually defined by a  carved line – but I haven’t yet decided whether I will follow tradition: I quite like the look of an ‘open’ decoration. At any rate, I thought to try my hand  on a spare piece of Huon Pine. The first  cut is vertical; thereafter I angle the blade one way, then the other, to create a v-shaped groove. Not so easy; one false move and the game is over.