 Barney
Elking
Carver
I took up woodcarving while living in central Canada. I needed something to keep me out of mischief while not working during the extremely
cold winters. I started with a good book on woodcarving and a set
of carving tools. My first carving was a winter logger complete with
hardhat, parka and chainsaw done in White Spruce. That was 39 years ago.
I receive the most satisfaction out of carving figurative subjects,
primarily in caricature. I carved a few birds early on but discovered
that there was little variation between subjects of the same species.
Not so with humans – every person is unique and it’s pure
joy trying to capture that uniqueness. As the year winds down I
concentrate on Christmas themes – Santas, Snowmen and ornaments.
I’m one of those folks that call themselves “Native Californians”. I
was born in San Francisco quite a few years ago, and received most of
my education locally – Fortuna Elementary School and High School
and Humboldt State University. I spent my working years in management
positions in the Forest Products Industry. Those assignments were
in Northern California; Chile, South America; and Saskatchewan and Alberta,
Canada.
I’ve had classes in art from both College of the Redwoods and Humboldt
State University. My carving instruction has been primarily with
nationally and internationally known carvers in seminars and workshops. Their
instruction and support has been invaluable. I have received awards
from regional, national and international competitions. |
