Hand carving: Adding art to architecture

Hand carving is a great way to add artwork to your architecture, whether it be carved onto your front entry door or a piece of furniture or cabinetry.  These delightful drawings of wild birds perched on avocado tree and camilla bush branches are being carved in relief on the fronts of two cabinet doors in an Arts and Crafts style kitchen I am making.  

Update on Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 2:30PM by David Frisk

Here are close-ups of the carvings I did for the cupboard door and spice cabinet door from my previously published drawings.  To see photo's of the full kitchen, go to the "New Work" or "Built-Ins" section of my website.

Carvings in Progress

The Quality of Life Today

I am wondering if others see a lowering of quality in just about everything or am I just getting old and cranky?  When I say everything, I really mean just about everything we purchase now.  The pencils I use in my shop are difficult to sharpen without the lead breaking and the erasers only smear, they don't erase anymore.  Milwaukee Tools were among the best.  I have several that are 30 years old and have never been in the repair shop.  Last year my 20-year old Porter Cable router died and I replaced it with a new Milwaukee router as I wanted the best tools for my shop.  Already, at just over a year old, it has been repaired twice!  The tool supplier explained they are made in China now.  The same can be said for almost everything from cars, TV sets, tools, furniture, appliances, phones, computers, and on and on.  Typically the prices on all this merchandise seems pretty good with more bells and whistles every year.  But nothing lasts and the repairs cost half the original price.  So are we getting such a good deal?  I don't think so.  

We can buy more stuff now than ever before, but we need to replace it two, three, even five times more often.  I have always preferred to buy the best even if that meant waiting longer until I could afford it, but that search is getting a little more difficult.  Beautiful and artistically-crafted furnishings, lighting, and other home improvements don't exist in most stores and good-quality craftsmanship only exists from a relatively small number or artists and craftspersons in the world today.  This lowering of standards is completely our fault.  If we continue to buy inexpensive, poor quality merchandise instead of paying more for quality, we are voting with our wallets that quality does not matter.  We perpetuate the poor quality we complain about by purchasing low-quality products over and over again.  In the end we don't receive anything of value.

This blog is not a complaint, but more a statement and observation that we are not gaining more with all this cheap stuff but losing quality in our surroundings.  I want to personally thank all the artist and craftspersons who manufacture quality products, and who add so much to our world by caring about what they do.

I did this carved entry door for a man in Japan.  I was amazed when he said he had been looking for years for someone to carve this door in Japan without success.

 

Hand carving: An addition that's worth it.

 

While there are many woodcarving hobbyists, there are few professional wood carvers.  Someone can spend years carving, practicing long hours getting skilled enough in many styles and techniques.  Yet it's not good enough to be able to simply carve out a living, so to speak.  The professional wood carver works quickly, precisely, and with feeling to reflect the style, period, and part of the world he or she is representing.

There are many machine carved panels, corbels and details that can be applied to existing or new work, but they will not necessarily match the wood, the proportions, or the style.  And they are lifeless.  Not only is it important that the  design be well done, no matter how precise, but that the life of the artist/craftsperson doing the work is expressed through the carvings.  Most of the time it is better not to include machined carvings because they will add nothing to the project.  

A simple hand-carved rosette, a bird on a branch with just a few leaves, or an entire forest scene can transform well-made but plain woodwork into something special, unique, and a piece of art to be enjoyed each time you enter the room or open a door.  

Contemporary design is one of my favorite places for carvings because of the clean plain lines.  To carve an iris or other simple shape very precisely adds an element of surprise, a contrast, and a bit of unexpected life to the object that can be quite fun and work very well.  

The next time you are thinking of having something custom made, whether it is a kitchen, office, door, or piece of furniture, consider adding some hand-carved details.  Look for an artist/craftsperson that can truly add something beautiful to your home or office, a hand carving with life.

Working with an Artist/Craftsperson

 

Whether you are a home or business owner, architect or interior designer, working with an artist/craftsperson on a project can be quite exciting.  Regardless of their location, be it local or across the country, an artist/craftsperson can add many more possibilities than you might have thought of including the combination of different materials for added dimension to your project.  An artist/craftsperson will usually have the experience of working in different materials will know what will work together artistically, and from a practical standpoint what will last.

Start by finding the artist/craftsperson by looking at their website to see if the person's scope of work has the experience to fulfill your projects needs.  You don't need to try to find exactly what you are looking for on the website, just the person's artistic ability and experience.  Then email or call the studio you have chosen to see if they are interested and are willing to work with the specific needs you have.  This is sometimes easier done by phone, but can be accomplished through email as well.  

Providing photo's and floor plans can be very helpful with the design process.  Providing rough sketches can also be helpful but should not be necessary for a qualified artist or craftsperson, who should be able to do the rough sketches for you according to your design needs, then final renderings once a design decision has been made, and finally shop drawings to start the job.  

At some point the artist/craftsperson may want to see the project site depending on the size and scope of work.  The more the artist/craftsperson can provide including the different materials, finishing and installation, the more likely the different aspects and materials of the job will work together with an artistic flow of design, and the less likely there will be problems.

By working with the artist/craftsperson a project can go from filling a space to a beautifully artistic expression, incorporating your ideas into something you will enjoy for decades.