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Carving found wood is the ideal book for woodcarvers who are looking to move beyond the typical store-bought block of basswood. Here in this book, woodcarvers will find techniques and inspiration for turning materials supplied directly by Mother Nature into stunning works of art.

The introduction to this book lays out the divisions in the carving world and the need for this type of book. In the field of woodcarving, artists use either lumbered wood that has been cut into blocks of an appropriate size, or they use wood in its natural form. The latter includes burls, cypress knees, driftwood and even stumps, and is the focus of this book.

The co-authors of this book, carvers themselves, have spent the past two years interviewing top artists in the woodcarving field who exclusively use found wood for their finished carvings. They asked each artist a standard set of questions so that the reader can make even comparisons among the techniques presented. They then followed up these questions with specific questions tailored to the artist and his or her medium of choice.

This information is organized into chapters according to artist. Step-by-step demonstrations of specific techniques are included as appropriate. Informative text and photographs describe in-depth the type of found wood used, where to obtain the wood and what tools are needed to carve it. Clean and beautifully staged gallery photographs show the artists' work.

In general, all carvers from beginning skill levels through advanced will find inspiration in the coffeetable-type gallery photographs presented in this book. For intermediate carvers who have some experience carving wood (found or otherwise), this book will provide not only inspiration but the step-by-step techniques and information needed for carve exceptional found wood sculptures.

Copyright 1999-2007 Mountain Woodcarvers, Inc.