I had read a magazine article that described the work of Kristina Madsen who carves intricate backgrounds on her pieces and uses paint to give the design enhanced contrast. I liked the look and thought I'd try the technique she employs. While she typically uses geometric background patterns, I opted for a leaf-based background to complement a Saskatchewan
animal theme. I chose a tissue box cover on which to work so it would at least result in something functional since purely decorative things are kind of piling up around here. I made two identical boxes since that took only little more time than making a single one.
The process was a bit odd since the boxes were constructed, sanded and completely finished before the actual carving even started. I used cherry for the covers and when the finishing was done, chose one to start carving. Sue liked the look of the second unadorned cover, so I declared that one complete and christened it the lyrically-named Tissue Box Cover #4.
For #5, the animal figures were carved first, followed by the ground and then finally the leafy background. When that was complete, an acrylic paint called gesso was worked into the design and the excess wiped off immediately with a damp cloth. The black gesso remained in the carved-away lines but wiped off the uncarved surface due to the protection provided by the finish. Once the gesso was dry, a couple more coats of finish were applied to the whole piece. It was overall a bit of an involved
process given the various steps required, so it took a couple months before #5 was complete.
| Material: | #4: Cherry |
| #5: Cherry |
| Finish: | #4: 3 coats Danish Oil |
| #5: 3 coats Danish Oil, black gesso, 2 coats Danish Oil |
| Size: | #4: 9.7" x 5.4" x 2.7" |
| #5: 9.7" x 5.4" x 2.7" |
| Done: | #4: Jan 11, 2021 |
| #5: Jan 30, 2021 |
