MAIN Art & Culture Sculpture Wood

The origins of wood sculpting are lost in the mists of time. It's easy to imagine an early artist peeling layers from a piece of wood that resembled a human or animal, but unlike metals and stone that may last for eons, wood is vunerable to the power of nature. Despite the fragility of wooden artwork, there have been rare instances of worked wood found in prehistoric digs.

More modern examples of wooden sculpture from medieval artists show the path that medium took in the move from it's earliest appearance as structural material to art.

Wood brings out the artist in young children and senior citizens. Picking up attractive pieces of driftwood or a branch found on the forest floor during a quiet hike are often the introduction to the allure of wood.

Working in wood can be as simple as sitting on the porch with a pen knife, whittling odd pieces — or as complex as sculpting in a cavernous studio using computer driven routers to speed the process along.

We've gathered the Net's best resources for the woodcarver and sculptor offering guides to wood and tool selection and buying, advice on safety issues, directories, related forums, bulletin boards and resources. Enjoy...

Wood Sculpture, Wood Carving, Woodworking Resources - A collection of links to woodcarvers and associated resources.

Australian Wood Artisans Promotions - Directory to woodcarvers, sculptors and crafters offering a bulletin board, resources, links.

Unika - The prestigious annual fair of woodcarving and sculpting held in Val Gardena, Italy with history, news, and extensive galleries of participants' work.

dArt - List of Artists: Wood - Good list of mainly U.S. carvers and sculptors, wood burners, mixed media artists.

International Sculpture Center - Online community for sculptors in all mediums including active forums, educational and technical resources, conferences, events and more.

Figurative Wood Sculpture - Sculptor Stefanie Rocknack offers a gallery of her figurative sculptures and bas reliefs, works in progress, links and resources.

also see feature story -> A Guide to Safe Woodcarving

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