I see faces pt 3

Back on the 12th of July this year I gave you an update on the wood I got at the farm and shared my favorite carving from what I had done thus far. Well recently I took said carving and made him a base out of some of the pine knot wood I had left over. The base looked really nice with the carving so I took it a step further and gave it a sealant coating. This came out wonderful so I decided to get back to my original thought process and add some color to the carving. This carving really seemed to be coming together but the little branch on the right side looked like a hand that should be holding something, it just looked empty.

So I gave him something to hold, not just any cane would do. Something about this guys just told me he was not from modern day but from a time gone by. He looked to me as if he was from the Emerald Isle, I imagine him to be a seanachie or in English a storyteller. I imagine him at the local pub retelling stories that have been handed down for generations. With this in mind I wouldn't give him anything but a shillelagh.

After I had carved his shillelagh and painted it I thought it looked too new for this lad so I scuffed it up a bit and put another coat of sealant on it, now to me it looks as if he has had it for a bit and it is almost like an extension of his hand. The next thing  to be concerned with was the positioning of the shillelagh and for me this was simple because to me he looked to be bowing. I positioned the stick in his hand along his side opposed to touching the ground and I angled it to give the suggestion of his leaning and using the stick for balance.

The more I did the more I liked who he became and when everything was complete, there was now more then just a carved face but a personality. I also gave a heavy coating to the base and as you can see from the second image it really has a nice finish to it. I liked him enough to add him to my submissions to this years competition with the CCA. Every carving needs a title and since I couldn't think of one I used an Irish quote "Many an honest heart beats under a ragged coat", cause you see, I don't think this lad would be thought of as well-to-do.

as always 

"Good night and may God bless"

May God grant you many years to live,
For sure He must be knowing,
The earth has angels all too few,
And heaven be overflowing