This red cedar and synthetic stone sculpture was somewhere between a delight and a nightmare to make. Like usual, I didn't plan anything out, I just rounded out half a slab of red cedar and carved it up, pushing its complexity as far as I could while refining it to the best of my abilities. Boiled linseed oil and glossy spar urethane protect this otherwise soft wood while highlighting its intricate contours.
I get a sense of pride and satisfaction when I tell people that I made this and all my previous sculptures using the cheapest tools and sandpaper money can buy.
As pictured, this sculpture is technically incomplete, and will be until spring of 2025 when my shop is warm enough to redo the finish on it. You may notice some small scratches in the close up photos that are acceptable for ordinary woodworking, but violate my strict standards of quality.
There are so few people out there who sand sculptures to 3,000+ grit and finish them that I can't just look up a guide, I have to experiment and create my own methods, and this is the first time I messed it up. Luckily I have a plan to fix it by doing something I'm pretty sure nobody has done before.
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