''Whimsical creations, hand carved on PEI''
by Aleš Jánošík
I started carving in late autumn of 2010, the year I moved to Canada. The whole idea was caused by a simple warning from my girlfriend that winters in PEI are boring. I bought a small whittling knife and a small block of basswood and didn't know it would get so serious after a while.
by Aleš Jánošík
I started carving in late autumn of 2010, the year I moved to Canada. The whole idea was caused by a simple warning from my girlfriend that winters in PEI are boring. I bought a small whittling knife and a small block of basswood and didn't know it would get so serious after a while.
I was roaming around the beaches on the island to find the most suitable driftwood for woodspirits carvings, which was at that time the ideal way how to start and practice. The wood was just waiting to be picked up.
Obviously I had to buy few more tools but I keep it fairly simple, few knives and few gouges and v-tools do most of the job.
Obviously I had to buy few more tools but I keep it fairly simple, few knives and few gouges and v-tools do most of the job.
I don't have any professional workshop. I carve mostly at home, inside or outside depending on the weather and on the type of wood I work with (bark gets fairly messy so I prefer to carve it outside).
I am always happy to take a part in carving at various shows and events to promote both my work and wood carving as a hobby. This photo was taken past February at Woodlot Tour in Mayfield, PEI:
I am always happy to take a part in carving at various shows and events to promote both my work and wood carving as a hobby. This photo was taken past February at Woodlot Tour in Mayfield, PEI:
My favorite things to carve are whimsical houses done in cottonwood bark and decorative chip carving done in various basswood items. I buy basswood boxes and plates as I don't have any proper workshop to make these myself.
Most of the cottonwood bark I use I get from British Columbia. I am a big fan of this medium which is collected from dead trees as it balances the spoiled feeling of ordering specifically made basswood items for chip carving. Another aspect I like about this style of woodcarving is its free style. I usually take a piece of bark and start working on it to see what will start showing up. If I want to carve a specific house, castle etc. I would go through my collection of bark to find the piece that would make an image in my head as a suitable one to carve. Such approach I had when I wanted to carve a water mill:
