Searching For Form

If you have been a woodworker for a reasonably long time you will have learned some things about yourself. We are all unique combinations of physical and psychological attributes, some of which work for us, and some of which work against us. I, for example, love puzzles, and can become quite obsessed with solving them. I am also in some respects a perfectionist. Under the right circumstances, these two personality quirks combine to make me endlessly patient.

I have been delighted to discover that making and using models to develop and refine the designs for my carvings is one of those right circumstances.

It might seem a stretch to call the design of a carving a puzzle, but the process of turning