Author: Marilyn

Back in 2017 I visited Australia and through the wonders of the internet and woodturning community was able to visit clubs in Sydney and Brisbane. My Australian hosts were more than hospitable, going out of their ways to show me around, introduce me to their clubs and give me samples of wonderful wood. I turned my first camphor laurel lidded vessel in Australia, in my friend’s woodshop complete with a possum in the roll-up garage door! The aroma was intoxicating and the wood-simply divine! By the time I got the piece back to Arizona, the dry wood dried some more so the opening was no longer true and changed color. I decided to re center the opening, turn a finial and carve the upper surface with camphor laurel design

Several days of hand filing and sanding and corvid is taking shape. He’s starting to come to life. I still have some shaping and sanding to do, but his head and tail fit

The rest of the sculpture is in formative stages

I started the third sculpture in the Dark Sky-Virgo series last Friday. The raven is proving challenging. I am using some beautiful Birdseye maple for the body and wings of the bird. I turned a shaped open bowl, cut it up and started carving. Power burrs were the order of the day. By the end of Saturday I had roughed out the main shape and tail. I also integrated some thumb skin

Progress so far: