Stopped by a friends shop today.......

[Mark Yundt]

Man can this guy carve. The Gothic Tracery panels were approx. 2 ft. wide. The faces were maybe 3 " tall. Look at that detail in Oak. Yes,,, Oak! The eyeglass frames blew me away let alone the spot on duplication of the look of the faces compared to the photographs. One is finished and the other is still in bare wood. The floral drops are approx. 2ft. long and maybe 3 inches wide at the top. Done in bass and primered. The shell is 1 ft. wide and is tiny with the carvings.
I feel like quitting.
and don't think anything has been added separately. The gothic, as well as the other pieces are done out of one piece. The tracery is part of several panels , done to the same level that will be 8-10 ft wide and nearly 70 ft high. There are also spiral flouted columns., spires and other details that I just can't describe. Good heavens!

[Mark Yundt]

What I meant was the shell carving is one ft wide. The shell itself is approx. 4" wide.
True to form , all done with full size chisels. Cool!
Here are a few other selections. The bench is 12' wide. The Rams head was for the top of a gun cabinet . The Rams leg desk , done in solid Cherry , is a marvel with hidden panels and drawers which are released by moving architectural details to access buttons.
The Eagle catching the Salmon was carved from a block 3 1/2 ft H x 4' W x 3' deep. From this a cast was pulled and done into a bronze sculpture.
the Ruffed Grouse are one piece carvings which became Newell posts.
Though this is only a small sample of his work I personally think it's some , if not the best I've ever seen. What an inspiration.

[Mel Fulks]

Thanks for posting those ,all wonderful. The heads could easily be seen as full busts. Please tell us anything you can about
the intended purpose of the goat table. Pure whimsy?.... President of goat breeder club?

[Ryan Mooney]

Wow indeed. That's definitely some of the best carvings I've ever seen pictures of, being able to look around them in person would be a treat indeed.

You are lucky to have such friends and be able to visit them. We're slightly less lucky that you are nice enough to share this with us but lucky nevertheless.

But don't stop, us mere mortals need some inspiration as well

[Mark Yundt]

It's for a study in a private home. I believe the guy was an avid hunter and loves Big Horn Sheep. He( the client) had taken many shopping trips around Europe looking for something and asked my friend if he could design something.
Well after 3 months of carving he was presented with a dead on scale model of the desk . Only about a foot long , every detail of the desk, including the Rams. The edges, doors, trim , carvings were all there. The deal was sealed.

here is the scale model laying upside down ( so you can see the Rams) on the top of the ful size desk.
I can't imagine carving /building just that let alone the full size piece.

the Eagle , by the way, is actually part of a book stand, large as it is!

[Mel Fulks]

Oops, I really thought they were goats. Since they are associated with wine ,it crossed my mind it had something to do
with wine tasting. Wild ,interesting design. Quite kinetic with all heading out in different directions.

[Mark Yundt]

Fun , interesting ideas.
Not that I came anywhere close to this but not long ago I did a similar thing for an island unit. For mine I carved Elephant heads where they came off at a 45, the ears laid back against each side and the trunks were the legs with two being hollow so electrical lines could be hidden and power the island unit.

[Mark Yundt]

Wow indeed. That's definitely some of the best carvings I've ever seen pictures of, being able to look around them in person would be a treat indeed.

You are lucky to have such friends and be able to visit them. We're slightly less lucky that you are nice enough to share this with us but lucky nevertheless.

But don't stop, us mere mortals need some inspiration as well

You're welcome. But believe me. I know how lucky I am. I used chisels for the first time in his shop. Didn't know one end from the other. Just setting foot in there made me want to do this for a living.
I owe him my career. Humble by comparison that it is. He inspires me while at the same time showing me just how far you can go. And how much more there is to learn.

quick example. I had worked 2 days making templates for the new door moldings I'll be carving. I walked back in the studio , looked at them , then threw them out and started over. And they were good. Just not good enough. The new ones will just say Ahhh,,, and relax into the piece.
Funny thing is I had that hunch. His work confirmed it.