Carving A Wildlife Themed Totem

In this weeks episode, Jeff highlights a sculpture made for a client in Twin lakes, Idaho. A Wildlife totem of sorts, that depicts a Bald Eagle, A Raven and a Bear Cub grasping a Fish. The episode is an account of the entire process all the way from standing dead Ponderosa Pine to a completed sculpture.

[@dougLinker]

So good!

[@asculptedlife]

Thanks Doug !

[@ModernMountainLiving]

Jeff, I am a tool guy but that truck is the best. Amazing how you can see all of that in a tree.

[@asculptedlife]

No Doubt ... it really is a huge blessing thanks for watching !

[@lunsfordcarvings]

fantastic sculpture! I really enjoyed watching this one! Look forward to seeing more!

[@asculptedlife]

Thank you Blake !

[@ryrycamp]

Just incredible again Jeff! I’m anxiously awaiting more episodes to soak it all in and learn. Big fan!

[@asculptedlife]

appreciate that complements ...thanks for watching !

[@markdecker8020]

Your client will be very happy she got the right arts to do it thank you be safe

[@asculptedlife]

Thanks Mark ...

[@opethfantoo3140]

Very nice work! My favorite parts the raven. From the detail in the head to the flow of the neck and shoulders which looked smooth at first but after showing it stained and painted the plumage and muscle definition detail really stood out. Hope to be that good one day. It can literally take me weekends to rough out the shape I want to detail.

[@asculptedlife]

I appreciate that ...keep at it, you'll get there ! thanks for watching

[@str8sh2ter]

Great scupture,I'd love to see how you make those feather details. Amazing, Paul

[@asculptedlife]

Paul, Hey thanks for reaching out...I'll keep that in mind, as with many things it's trial and error. Its important to step back when your carving because you can easily get hyper focused on details that won't be seen from 4-5 feet away. play with depth and texture to get separation from different parts of the feathers and feather groups.

[@weetzerswoodshop]

Great work Jeff! As always you give me some of the best carving ideas! Being out here on Whidbey Island Wa. we have the same kinda trees and animals so it’s great to see the sculptures you come up with.

[@asculptedlife]

Well Thank you ! .. I'm glad you're enjoying them .... Whidbey is a beautiful island

[@genericx2347]

wow!

[@davidavidquintanilla]

nice job very professional

[@asculptedlife]

Thank you David !

[@romannepoitras8981]

Wow, this is a masterpiece Jeff. Love it! I see that you have an aussie too!, nice dog. Do you seal your sculptures when it go outside like this one? , if yes, what is your preferred sealer and how many coats? thanks again for sharing your work of art.

[@jeffmayart]

Glad you liked it … I use flood cwf Uv clear tone it’s water based and low sheen.. I brush it on with a thick heavy coat… let is soak and them back brush it again … thanks for watching! And best of luck with your upcoming project

[@donaldvonbargen7724]

Jeff nice work, I’m curious how you got started? Obviously you’ve been doing this for sometime. I have a calling to do carving in my retirement but what I see of your work which is amazing I don’t know that I could ever do anything as well.

[@asculptedlife]

Donald, I seriously want to encourage you to drop any sense of fear and just get started ... it really doesn't matter that you feel intimidated, sculpting is mostly about you learning the tools and then playing with them to create... the more you create the more you learn. That's how I learned... Trial and error. Just step up each time with the mindset of improving your technique on each new piece . If wildlife is your subject matter then study anatomy it will make all the difference, thanks for watching !

[@upcountrycarvings]

Your work is amazing Jeff! I have been carving for 4 years on and off. On your painted sculptures, what clear coat do you use? I use a Helmsman indoor out door urethane. Keep up your amazing work.

[@jeffmayart]

Thanks for the complement ! keep up the carving 4 years is a good start... your choice of products to use will largely depend on the climate and exposure to elements . Here in Northern idaho I use ( flood CWF UV Clear/ natural tone) a lot of the time... its not the longest lasting product but I choose it for the following reasons : it plays well with other stains and water based paints, leaving a very low sheen, easy water based cleanup, easy for clients to maintain, can be brushed on, touched up and is not too expensive.

[@CreationDust777]

Nice carving. Just curious if you have any air exchange in your carving bay? I like your set up, but it seems like the saw exhaust would linger and build up without an open air surrounding

[@asculptedlife]

Thank you ! Good question… there are cracks in between all the planks on the wood wall and a large floor to ceiling opening when the wood wall stops short of the back wall … a large fan also helps but I’ve never had any issues