A Great Poem About a Bear Named Ivan

This doesn't have a whole lot to do with the work I have been doing but this is an awesome poem Jae Choi a  guest in a recent creative writing class that reminded me of the class. It's about a bear, when I imagine the bear I like to imagine a bear in Haida form style. I also have decided that I am going to try and make a bas-relief piece which I will carve first in wood and then transfer to clay based around the line "all I want is the fish to glow at night."

Je M'appelle Ivan

I am alone  I am a real bear  with a head full of

hazard and light    I live in nature    live with no

friends   and no equity   who needs it   I have

my face  I have my hands  which are as I speak

mauling the air    one time I took a trip     I lay

horizontal on a marvelous raft     I did look up

regard the blank stars   and accept them as holes in

the frame   one time I ran so fast   I left my own

self behind    my own self wandered into an old

birch   and it fell over   I have now escrow    O

bees though sweet kingdom of noise   I worship

freely    and I pee on the leaves     and the wind

impulses right through me  like a small clean rock

all I want is the fish to glow at night           when

 everyone on earth is trying to reach me       hello

yes    hello   this never happens    yet other events

go on and on   the dimming of the moon    I am

upright   I am lumbering    alone with no liquidity

and I live on berries    deliver me berries   if later

on you glide   into these wild and wilder woods

-Heather Christle, from The Trees The Trees

For those interested here is a version of a bear done in the Haida style by Artist Joe Mandur Jr.

http://bcspiritbear.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Spirit-Cub-Print-for-Gallery400pxls5.jpg

Just Grinding Away

Today I got to start on the grinding of what will hopefully become a blade I can use for carving. I am using part of an old saws-all blade which is made of tempered steel for the blade, and yew for the handle. My guide for now is a blade that Tom shaped awhile ago. It is a drop point blade which is great for all around carving. For the handle I am taking the basic shape from an old Kestrel Tools catalog, but am putting my own spin on it. Kestrel tools is a company that makes different northwest coast art carving tools like adzes, crooked knives and basic carving knives. It was started and is still run by a friend of Tom's. If all goes well in the next couple days there will be a finished blade in my hand! It is also worth noting the absolutely beautiful piece of yew I am using for the handle. When I cut open the piece of wood I was awestruck by how amazing the wood was. The grain created a beautiful pattern and the purple in the wood is unbelievable.

Blade, Handle Sketches, and the future handle

Toms knife (Silver) and my knife (Black)

The future handle in a beautiful piece of wood

First Firing

The chops are now Bisque Fired, meaning they are ready to be glazed. I have put a green under-glaze on the chop, and now just need to add a glaze. Tom's pieces also came out so soon I will get to be the teacher for a little bit and work with him on glazing techniques! Woohoo! More pictures to come

The Finished Product

Last week I finished my first project. It took a lot of time to get everything in order but last week I finished routing my chop and got to do a couple practice impressions. I took awhile to find the right way to create a deep enough cut to provide an adequate impression. Eventually I used a router with the smallest bit I could find in the shop. It ended up working great when I put it between two pieces of wood and in a vice so I could squeeze them together. I'm about to start working on a knife that I can use to carve with my next project.

Sketches and First Drafts

Just a couple photos of the process I am going through with my Chop or signature.I decided to give it an native american spin by using the ovoid, one of the classic shapes in Northwest coast art. I also employed the U-shape in the bottom of the R. I have decided to not use classic carving techniques for this piece after talking with Tom because I will not be able to make the indentations deep enough to leave an impression in the clay. Therefore I have decided to use a router type tool to get the job done. I haven't experimented with this type of carving at all yet so I'm excited to see where it goes. more pictures to come!