Reclining Nude

Length: 5 feet 6 inches

In 2013, I began sculpting intentional figures, rather than following the grain within the wood.  The first one was “Reclining Nude” in a large hickory log, which had some external features that suggested an elbow, breasts, and knees.  The challenge was to use the underlying wood grain consistently with the human form.  I was so satisfied with the result that I decided to practice sculpting human forms in microcrystalline wax as a precursor to sculpting in wood.  These wax models were very useful, and some of them are pictured on this page.

However, several of the initial large-scale replicas were not successful.

Unlike my abstract sculptures, where I could make initial chainsaw cuts in a way that reduced stress in the working piece, the figurative pieces needed bulk wood necessary to realistically represent the human form. I was unlucky in my choice of insufficiently seasoned cherry logs in which to sculpt my early figures, and they all cracked.

In order to reduce the chance of cracking, I transitioned to elm instead of cherry, and I sawed the logs lengthwise to remove the pith wood and to reduce the radial stress. Instead of bulk logs, I now had thick boards into which I carved deep relief sculptures, and shallower, complete figures, like "Meditation."