Carvings

Comparable but unique works (we do not duplicate work) can be created by custom order if an item is marked as SOLD -- price TBD. Beauhaven will not duplicate carvings, sculpture or designs, can will create a comparable piece.

For a better understanding of how these works are created (and subsequently priced), see Carving Process. Also, Work in Progress.

"Slyph": In the great fantasy novel series "The Sword of Truth" by Terry Goodkind, there is a "character" called the Slyph. The Slyph is sort of sentient and can transport a person from one specific place to another when they immerse in it's swirling liquid pool. My "Slyph" tries to instill that life into a rough block of wood. ("Slyph" was a 42nd anniversary gift for my wife.) Cherry with hand- rubbed linseed oil followed by tung oil, 2011.
		Above is "Slyph" in it's full glory. A two-part vision representing its separated pools - the curves flowing in never ending turmoil. The pictures at left show the development of "Slyph" from a rough carved concept (next to the block it was cut from) to a fully smoothed piece ready for finish. An animal-like "crouch" in the completed work reveals that it is indeed capable of transport.

Top: The original design marks. Below: Early carving.	"Sundancer": The sun clock "Sundancer" was a difficult and somewhat painful work completed over a two year period. The original board was cut and re-glued so that the grain of each of the six segments flows outward. Light dances over both natural grain rays and sculpted sun rays pulling your vision to the golden center. The clock may be hung with either end down. "Sundancer" is yellow birch finished in hand-rubbed linseed oil, 2009. $800

	"Driftin'": Beginning from a block more than twice its final size and evolving from an idea for a letter opener, this 6" clock had a chunk cut off and major design changes before its swooping curves found their way to daylight. Recovered from a neighbors' fallen tree, this root stock has a very eccentric nature that was extracted with a rotary carving tool. Black Walnut Root, shellac base with hand-rubbed linseed oil finish, 2008. $325

"The Eye of the Storm": This difficult piece was very deserving of its name. Begun as a carving demonstration, the piece was cut to allow the key knots to be incorporated into the carving. The design evolved from placement of the clock amid features of the wood grain. Black Walnut with custom linseed oil/polyurethane hand-rubbed finish, 2008. $985

	"Tension": Reflections of the many tensions in our lives flow from this powerful sculpture -- even it's tiny filled cracks add to it's intense reality. The sensuousness of curves and finish prompt our imagination. This is a re-creation of the 1987 miniature that was my first carving effort. Black walnut with a custom linseed oil/polyurethane mix. 2007. $950
		Various stages of "Tension" from inital block through smoothed carving ready to finish. (Dedicated to my old friend Dick Jeanes who has the original model.)

"Pistolero" and "Swashbuckler" Carved letter openers with luscious hand-rubbed tung oil finishes, these letter openers won the admiration of a visiting surgeon and evoke memories of childhood (and adult) dreams of swordsmanship and gallant display. Highly functional in a simple carved design, they will highlight any desktop. "Pistolero" has a lighter shellac/tung oil finish, 2007. SOLD "Swashbuckler" has a deep tung oil finish, 2007. SOLD		The carved handles and sheaths.

	"Pocket Place" Adjacent to the knotty cut of walnut that produced “Nut Dish” lay a strong, unassuming length of clear lumber that suggested a different container -- one that could help manage and simplify a life. With a small divider, this dish might hold the end-of-day contents of one person’s pockets. Black Walnut hand-rubbed with tung oil, 2007 Sold

"Windswept" Windswept : A hand-carved desk nameplate/calendar pad which displays the elegance of black walnut emphasized by the flowing curves resembling vistas of rock carved by an unrelenting wind. Black Walnut with hand-rubbed tung/linseed/poly finish, 2007. Sold
"Swordstone" The perfect mate for “Windswept”, this letter opener sits embedded in a stone-like piece of black walnut root with nuances of carved marble. Black Walnut with linseed oil/poly finish, 2007. Sold Pic at right shows nameplate and letter opener/holder detail. At far right is an early pass of the nameplate and Rich smoothing the detail with a mini-scraper.

"Dragon" (p): This dragon is a prototype for new tools, new techniques, new wood and a new design. Carved from a 4"x5"x6" block made from glued pieces of leftover siding from our house, the resulting figure is about 4" high. Western Red Cedar with linseed oil finsish, 2008

	"Mountain Time" Appropriately named, this clock was a gift for my mother-in-law who lives in the mountains of NC. Despite difficult life circumstances, she overcame all and still raised seven wonderful children -- each a success in their own right. She has been an incredible role model for us all. Cherry, custom oil/poly mix, 2008

"Everlasting": The rough cut "Everlasting" is below. SOLD		It seems that almost nothing in our lives is more important than everlasting love. But to evolve a timeless though trite image into a fresh theme while preserving its core message and feeling was quite the challenge. A sundial, restores time to the unending promise of love. Basswood and Black Walnut, 2006


"Time Flies": At times, we all have this sense of time and our lives sort of running away with us. The whole concept of time seems somehow embodied in a comet that beckons to us and yet is completely out of our control. When hung, "Time Flies" drifts into proper position for the clock. Yellow Birch, 2006. SOLD

Carved from a slab destined for another work ("Everlasting"), this intriguing wall hanging draws the eye from curve to curve in a constant quest to solve its mysteries. Capturing the spirit of its forest origins, "Aura" radiates its charm whether displayed on a wall or in a window, whether backlit or revealed in cascading light. Basswood, 2006. SOLD
"Aura":

		"Time's Gate": This mantle clock stands about 8" tall and was carved from sections of a single black walnut plank. The concept of a gateway started with the drawings and gradually became a door through time. The glow of tung oil rubbed black walnut partially frames the cherry face. 2006. SOLD

"Worm Tracks": A 2 foot wall-hanging, started with a book matched cutting around the swirl of a black walnut knot that had me thinking about galaxies and the reaches of space. It's name was probably inevitable as with my mind on the stars, I carved around the worm holes left in the cherry and couldn't help but see the cosmic analogy. This one was a delight to polish into a muted tung oil finish. Black Walnut and Cherry, 2006. SOLD

"Mountain Fountain" is a small carving from a block of basswood that reflects my thoughts of what it would be like to carve out a mountainside into tiers of pools all fed with a godlike fountain figurehead. At only 8 inches high, it took months of painstaking carving and finishing to achieve this effect. Imagine swimming in the cascading basins overlooked by the whimsical figure of the mountain god. (At least that's the image that sustained me over the hours -- and hours.) The small image below was after rough carving. 2005. SOLD
		Rough carved "Mountain Fountain"

A small block of scrap black walnut with a knot sat for several weeks on a workbench. One day I looked at it and saw a nut dish waiting to be carved. The grain contours and rays that emanate from one edge guided the development drawing out each peak and valley. It just begs for a pile of mixed nuts -- maybe in a glass dish beside it....

This six inch carved miniature was begun shortly after we returned from a month long trip into the Four Corners part of the US (Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah). The haunting memories of rock spires, wind carved surfaces and ancient Native American settlements guided my hands to bring shapes from the wood and patterns of grain reminiscent of that experience.

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