The Bird Carver

kermodging through

Kerry — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 12:16:28 +0000

Kermodging - that is my word. It is the effort one takes at attempting to make it through. It is my made up word for when I am in the midst of a carving and it is difficult. I simply “kermodge” through it. There is a point in every piece that I do where it is difficult to see the end. I don’t see it, feel it - nothing. And it is difficult to get through. But “kermodge” I do, following the Michael Angelo philosophy of sculpture - look twice and cut once. Accept during this time I am looking 4 or 5 times. And I can’t explain it. Sure, they are uniquely beautiful, all of them, when they are finished, though I don’t know if I like any of them. There is that time in every carving where it becomes difficult and I have to step back away and look at it objectively, with pictures, with notes, with a clay model, anything that can help me get through. And then suddenly, like going through a dense fog, it is the other side, where it all makes sense. Make sense?

Flow

Kerry — Tue, 29 May 2007 23:02:23 +0000

Ask any artist and they will want their piece to flow. Ever thought about flow? I am most surprised how we live life without flow or an awareness of it. I like for my pieces to move. Some may say, oh that is silly, it’s wood for crying out loud. I did not understand flow for a long time. Over the past few years I have come to understand flow and it is flow that I think makes a piece say something. Does it move, is a question that I ask even before I make it.

Enjoy this site

Kerry — Fri, 25 May 2007 19:04:19 +0000

There is a lot within this website that I hope is beneficial to you. Art is nothing if it is not shared. There is a portfolio area on this site that has some of my work. There are some projects that I have completed as well that are for sale. And there is a little bit of my philosophy for doing what I do. So I hope this will help you in doing your own art work. And if I can help, email me and I will share what I know. There are also some people that have provided me with a wealth of information and I will share them with you if need be.

Patterning

Kerry — Sun, 20 May 2007 14:59:44 +0000

A picture, a way of living, a thought, a scene, a bird, all are the basis of patterning. I started out using patterns from other people. There are some great reference materials that are out there and great pattern books. But, the reality is that it is someone elses view of reality. And as an artist we start out using someone elses patterns and then graduate to our own creations.

Here in is a reality of life. We pattern after someone else. Should we? maybe. At least to start with. As a child, we pattern after our parents, rightly or wrongly. Those who experience great dysfunction unless challenged, will pattern that behavior. Why? Because we see it as reality- a right way. Does it have to be that way? NO! We need to create a new pattern! And we live in a society and world where the patterns all have something to be desired, everyone of them, yes me too and you as well. Patterning. Throw ‘em away! Except a few! Except those that create a reality that is far beyond our own realm, out there, life changing, world changing, yours, as important as anyone elses; yours! Incomplete, not quite like you would like it, not as pretty as someone elses; yours!

Pattern - a picture of reality, taken with your own finger tips, given to humanity, given to all, given to God, your pattern, God given- back. COURAGE - the ability to create your own pattern - of life, of love, of art.

Flying Coopers Hawk: The Carving of Amazing Grace

Kerry — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 02:18:52 +0000

There is an old hymn that so many people know and love and it describes God’s grace. It starts out as Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see. For those who know me, I am not one to wax into the corny christian metaphors nor do I give meaning to things where meaning is not found. But for me and so many other people, we find the love of God through the beautiful world that God has created and find a rich sense of renewal and strength in the outdoors. This is the case for the carvings that I do and the meaning that they have for me. (more…)

Bronze Art: Redtail Hawk on a Cross

Kerry — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 01:57:28 +0000

Sometimes doing theology is a matter of getting the cart before the donkey I suppose. Those that wrote the bible saw first and wrote second. This is the case of my writing and artistry, at least here, concerning the redtail hawk that you see here in this picture. Quite unique, isn’t it? A most violent creature, graceful in flight, but death on a wing, sitting on a symbol of the ages. A symbol no less that has been misused and used by generation upon generations even til today. The cross; a symbol of suffering and shame and hope and fear and on and on and you can fill in what it means for yourself. (more…)