THE 2014 LEPRECHAUN

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PHOTOS OF THE CROSS BY DAVE LEIKER - EMPORIA, KS

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Dave Leiker - Photo Collections

Dave took these professional pictures at St. Andrew's Church in Emporia, KS
Dave also produced the slide show of Carving a Santa.
You can click on the Santa at the top left of this page to watch this slide show

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CRUCIFIX FOR NASHOTAH HOUSE – NASHOTAH, WISCONSIN

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Nashotah House is a theological seminary in the Anglican tradition, concerned for the proclamation of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the mission of the Church in the world, the salvation of all people, and the worship of Almighty God.

I have carved many carvings from the Prairie Cottonwood Tree bark but most are wood spirits and such.  In considering this processional cross for use during the Lenten season, I naturally thought of the rough Cottonwood bark as a perfect medium for the project.  In looking through my stash of Cottonwood bark, of which I have a lot collected from various places around the Flint Hills, I found the bark that I thought was perfect for this project.  I had found this bark in a grove of trees where one of them had been struck by lightening that stripped the bark from the tree.  However, prior to being struck by lightening, cattle had sought out the grove of trees for protection from the cold in winter and probably, more especially, to seek the cool shade for relief from our hot sunny summers.  The cattle had rubbed against the bark of the tree, smoothing and burnishing it with the natural oil and fur of their hide until it was ribbed with flat ribs as oppose to the conical rough ribs that naturally appear on the tree bark.  I chose this bark for the cross because the “beasts of the field” had literally prepared it for Our Lord’s Body.

I have further smoothed it and applied a coat of finish, but the animals did most of the preparing of the wood where I will placed the Body of Jesus that I carved from bass wood.

I have yet to attach the cross to the baton and a few other finishing details of construction will make it complete.

The bark on the left is a picture of the normal Cottonwood bark I find to carve .

The bark on the right is the piece of bark that I used for this crucifix, "The cattle had rubbed against the bark of the tree, smoothing and burnishing it with the natural oil and fur of their hide until it was ribbed with flat ribs as oppose to the conical rough ribs that naturally appear on the tree bark.  I chose this bark for the cross because the “beasts of the field” had literally prepared it for Our Lord’s Body."

 

This was before "I  further smoothed it and applied a coat of finish,

but the animals did most of the preparing of the wood

where I will placed the Body of Jesus that I carved from bass wood."

 

 

SUNFLOWER COTTONWOOD BARK CARVINGS - WOOD SPIRITS

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$75.00
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$95.00
3.5

 

GOTHIC RUINS WOOD SPIRITS

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The combination of 

Wood Spirits and Gothic architectural elements

have always drawn my interest.

Here is a series Gothic Ruins.

 

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$75.00 

 

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#2

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 $80.00

This Woodspirit carved in cottonwood bark is unique because the bark from which it is carved is very hard.  This allowed me to include some detail in the carving that is usually not possible in a carving material like cottonwood bark, which is notorious for chipping, making finer detail attempts by the carver an exercise in maintaining control of his/her temper.

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#3

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 $75.00



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$90.00




 

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 $95.00



 

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$95.00 



OLD WORLD SANTA

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FARMER'S MARKET WOOD SPIRIT

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    I  had seen it for weeks as I walked by the parking lot where the Farmer’s Market is held. 

 

    It was an odd looking piece of wood that had probably been used to block a wheel of a trailer or used for some other common need at the Farmer’s Market.  I tried to ignore it each day as I would pass by but I couldn’t help myself from visualizing a face carved in this old chunk of wood.  It was dirty and sandy and I had my work clothes on, a white shirt that day with a tie, so I resisted the urge to pick it up and examine it further.  And that was my relationship with this old chunk of wood for days.

    Then one day as I was walking by, my eyes automatically fell to the place that I knew where the chunk of wood would be.  It was a Monday after a week end Farmer’s Market and the chunk of wood was no longer there.  I was haunted with the fact that possibly I had missed the opportunity to put some life in this neglected piece of wood and now it would be too late because it is gone.  A week went by and I had almost forgotten about this chunk of wood that had occupied my mind for several days until just after a later Farmer’s Market, almost in the same place, the piece of wood reappeared.  An unexplained joy welled up inside of me as my eyes fell upon this familiar chunk and for some reason I stopped and picked it up to really examine it to see if it could be used to carve a face.  Picking it up I immediately could tell from the heaviness of the wood and its rough texture that it was hard as a rock, so I dropped it to the ground with what would have been the carving face on the bottom and started to leave.  And then I heard it . . . a Spirit of a Long Dead Tree was calling out to me.  “Free me!”  It was a pitiful and pathetic little interior voice that I heard and once again it implored . . . “Free Me!”  Startled, I replied “I can’t free you.  Your wood is too hard and it would take too much carving and besides all my tools are ground for soft wood like bass wood, and pine and butternut.”  With that I resolutely walked away.  The next day I decided rather than to be confronted with a voice from a tree spirit I would take an alternate route and by-pass this chunk of wood all together.  But the very next day, I couldn’t help myself but take the old route and walk past this chunk of wood that I had developed this relationship with, all be it not particularly pleasant to me.  As I walked by the chunk, once again I heard the voice of the wood spirit cry out . . .

“Free Me!”  I started to indignantly reply, “I told you that” and then noticed that someone in a passing car was looking at me with the same expression as one would have when observing a person playing an air guitar along with a boom box.  I hurriedly walked on and didn’t indulge my urge to respond to this plea from the wood spirit.  I was able to do this for several days and then one day as I walked by, giving my customarily fleeting glance at the place where the wood spirit usually laid, I was alarmed to recognize the fact that it was no longer there.  It had been moved to another spot just about ten feet away and I was more sure than ever that it had probably been used as a wheel block or something at the Farmer’s Market.  Instinctively I walked over to it and noticed that through whatever use it was put through had caused a piece of the chunk to break off.  Then, I heard it again. . . . “Free Me!” . . .  with this addition to the petition . . . “before it’s too late.”  I told myself . . . “Well, I guess it wouldn’t do any harm to at least take it home and clean it up to see if it really did have some possibilities.  I picked it up and the wood spirit joyfully dribbled sand and dirt all over my clothes.

    Once the wood was home I washed it thoroughly with oil soap and brushed up a good lather.  That completed, the carving was started and as I feared the wood indeed was rock like.  The progress was slow and I heard no more out of the wood spirit that would indicate its approval or disapproval.  Now the carving is completed and from the expression the wood spirit has I think he is both surprised and horrified to find himself in this world to which he has been unveiled.  Well Spirit, I have to say . . . “Be careful for what you ask.  Wood can be removed but can not be put back on. So you, like the rest of us, are here to stay until we are called to something better, so let’s make the best of it.    

 

 

 

26,712 Sat. Aug. 24, 2013
26,829 Sun. Aug. 25, 2013