Wood carving retreat

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This workshop was intense. More intense than I expected, and especially taxing on my *brain*! As we eased back into carving on day one, it was deceptively simple. Then when we moved from easier things like defining the tree to harder things like carving the rocks and matterhorn, it got more mentally taxing. But there is SO much information and guidance contained in the shape of the CNC blank that the carving, while time consuming to get it done (it's a huge piece!) wasn't *that* difficult. 

The "Next Level" in "Next Level Retreat" really came on strong in days 3 and 4 with the painting. SO many layers. SO much depth created. SO many new ideas about how to look at an object, think about light, and create additional shaping with the paint *in addition to* the shaping that was already present in the carving. Ray's guidance and expert eye was really crucial to keeping everyone on track and getting the results we did. 

I learned SO MUCH at this retreat. I can't wait to put it into practice at home. I came home feeling like I can carve anything, or at least that I can see the path I need to follow to improve to the point that I will be able to. 







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