FIREPLACE MANTELS
"Reaching Boughs"
Carved out of white pine, this large mantel features two pine branches reaching towards the center with a unique mixture of needles and pine cones. The mantel face was quite large which required us to pivot in the construction and laminate several boards together to get to the desired size. This actually gives the mantel excellent strength and minimizes cracking as it ages. It's carved to a depth of approximately 2" which allows the medium relief design to pop and gives me plenty of depth to properly shape the pine needles and cones. I used a rotary tool to intricately carve the flakey bark texture on the trees which was my favorite part of the carving.
"Peace In The Pines"
This mantel was carved out of one solid piece of pine and features two cardinals resting in the pine branches. It's considered medium relief as it was carved to a depth of almost 2" which allows for more flexibility when creating unique and dynamic depth. The design is only one carving layer and then a gouged style background. This gives it a more simplistic look, but maximizes the effect of the main carving and really allows it to stand out. The gouged background is a unique feature but doesn't distract from the main design. The cones were carefully carved with traditional gouges and the needles were carved with a rotary tool due to how fragile they are and to minimize breaking.
"God So Loved"
Carved out of a solid piece of white pine, this mantel features a simple but unique red oak leaf pattern with cursive lettering centered on the face. It was carved to a depth of approximately 1/2" so it's considered shallow relief. The little depth allows the process to be quite efficient and the carving can be completed in a shorter amount of time. The background was tapered towards the design and gouge strokes removed to emphasize the branches and leaves and to ensure that they are bold and stand out from the mantel face. This mantel was carved almost completely with traditional gouges which is a wonderful feature of shallow relief designs.
