essent�rving�08

CHAPTER 10

CARVING A BOWL

Abowl is not only a useful rcceptade; it is a sculpture, too. It offcrs wonderful opportunities to the carver for abstract or represcmational design, and for thc bcginner teaches an enormous amount about dcsigning, choicc of wood, mcthods of holding and carving work in the round.

Finding Inspiration AND Making the Design

Sometimcs thc design may be suggested by thc shape of a piece of wood; somecimes it is the result of considerable planning.

A bowl is a reccptacle dccper than a piąte but may be any shape or size. This means it may have an uneven rim (Figs 10.1, 10.2). It may also have holes in it. It may havc a simplc shape with surface decoration (Fig 10.3). It should continue to stand firmly when things are put in it.

Bowls fail for one or morę of the following reasons: because the shape is poor; the wood splits during can ing or in use; it is impossible to hołd it steady in the making; thc appearance oł the grain is not fully exploited; the direction of the grain makes thc carving ncedlessly difficult; the can^rer makes the bowl disastrously thin through carclessness or through some nasty trick played by thc wood. Most of ihese faults arise from lack of planning.

Inspiration may come directly from naturę, for example from leaf, nut and shell forms. If these

Fig 10.1 Bowl in walnut with uneven edge (Dick Onians).

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