I can’t believe it’s 2023. Hope all of you had a good holiday season!
Today I wanted to review many of the pieces I’ve worked on this year, it’s always nice to do this at the end of the year. This year I was able to work on so many unique projects, fun commissions, and got more experience teaching carving classes!
Let’s look through 2022’s work…
January:
At the beginning of the year, my brother commissioned this family crest as a gift to his friend. I always enjoy working on pieces with a history behind them!
February:
Commissioned Portraits – a good friend of mine in Texas commissioned me to make 2 relief carvings of his two sons. I always enjoy working on portraits, especially when they’re for a friend!
Kubbestol – the start of the kubbestol project! I had this shape cut; this was the rough finish before I started working on it.
Woman with Flowers – finished this piece, focusing on the fabric and draping.
March:
I spent most of March in Italy which was an incredible way to explore and gain inspiration for future pieces. Being surrounded by so much art, beauty, and history is an artist’s dream!
April:
In April of 2022, I mostly focused on the kubbestol when I had time for carving. Above on the left, you can see the drawing I developed before transferring them to the actual chair. On the right is the kubbestol after the surface had been sanded and smoothed, then the design was drawn on to check for spacing and size.
May:
Kubbestol – I began the process of removing the background of the chair to begin to create a relief effect. I also started carving some of the rougher/larger details.
Woman Holding Flowers – I don’t typically create carvings that are large sculptural pieces of people, but I wanted to get outside of my comfort zone! A friend of mine mentioned wanting a sign for her floral shop, so I began the process of drafting and cutting out the rough shapes.
June:
Woman Holding Flowers – In June I began focusing on the bundle of flowers the woman is holding in this piece. The first photo shows what the base of the flowers looks like after the shape was cut out with a saw.
Indigenous Hopi Woman – I was inspired by a photo I saw of a Hopi woman and decided I wanted to create a relief modeled after that photo. In the second photo you can see the rough drawing before I started carving the details, then the finished product in the 3rd and 4th photos.
August:
This month I was busy with the Santa Fe Artist Tour, so I didn’t have much time to carve or sculpt. But I did work on this customized wooden box that was a commission from a friend!
September:
In September, my main focus was creating this special commissioned sculpture piece for the parents of Autumn, their young daughter who passed away. In the first photo, you can see the beginning of the process of creating a relief sculpture portrait – first in plasticine then clay.
November:
In November I received a unique commission for 2 wooden Byzantine wedding crowns! I’d never worked on anything like this before so it was an interesting process. In the top 3 photos, you can see the process of cutting and sizing the initial wood structure for the crown, followed by the sanded and ready base crowns. In the bottom photo, you can see the beginning of the detail carving process!
December:
I continued working on the commissioned wedding crowns in December. In the first photo, you can see more of the carving process, then experimenting with what the wood will look like oiled, and lastly the 2 crowns when the carving was finished. I finished the crowns by staining them, using gold paint to create highlights, and adding photos and stones. The last photo was taken at the couple’s wedding!
All in all, 2022 was a pretty great year for me! I’ve been lucky enough to get to work on some great commissioned pieces, get out of my comfort zone, and gain inspiration from my travels to Italy and beautiful Santa Fe.
To any of you who read these blog posts, receive my email newsletters, or follow me on Instagram – thank you! Your support means a lot.
Looking forward into 2023 I’m excited to work on more projects, commissions, and continue expanding my craft. I hope this new year is good to all of you too!
Today’s post is the first in a series about Peter Mansbendel, a sculptor and woodcarver who serves as a huge source of inspiration for me. In fact, I spent years researching and studying Peter’s work and his life which led me in many fascinating, illuminating directions – so much so that I actually wrote a book about him! I figured I’d share some of his stories here with you, and this way you can understand why I find his artistic journey so enriching. This series of posts won’t necessarily be posted concurrently, as I like to switch things up from month to month depending on what I’m drawing inspiration from or am currently working on.
Peter Heinreich Mansbendel
In 2004 I was researching Swiss woodcarvers who lived in the US when a booklet about Peter Mansbendel and his work popped up in the search results. It looked like some art museums in Texas had a few exhibits of Peter’s work in 1977, which led me to seek out the few of his carvings that made it up to Dallas homes.
I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to find the houses that displayed his work since the booklet only mentioned the homeowners from the 1920s. I decided to write to Ebby Halliday, the well-known relator, about the homes and she replied that one of the homes had been turned into a now famous hotel. She also said the other homes could be found by visiting Preservation Dallas. a historical home society, who told me that Peter lived in Austin.
After I began searching through Austin’s history, I learned as much as I could about Peter’s life and artistic work which led me in many fascinating, illuminating directions. Along the way, I was able to meet some of his living family members, study his work and techniques, and get to know the intricacies of this fascinating artist.
From 1800-1920 a wave of artists immigrated to the US, bringing their own traditions and artistic tastes from their unique backgrounds. One of these talented artists was Peter Mansbendel, a Swiss woodcarver who moved to Texas after falling in love with an American woman who lived in Austin. Unexpectedly, he became a vitally important Austin artist and community tastemaker who inspired others to incorporate and appreciate artistic design and beauty. Using chisels and gouges of every possible shape, he carved everything from inkwells to elaborate decorative pieces – many of which still adorn homes in Austin, TX today.
Peter Heinreich Mansbendel was born on August 12, 1883, in Basel, Switzerland to parents Valeria Siegrist and Johann Peter Mansbendel. Peter’s father, Johann, was a stern businessman who pushed his children to follow in his footsteps and didn’t allow for much deviation from that path – including Peter’s artistic talent and interest. Thankfully, his mother, Valeria, supported her son’s passion for art and encouraged him to continue carving and practicing different forms of art. Even as a child, Peter was said to have known he wanted to be a well-known artist!
At this time, freehand drawing was compulsory in Switzerland schools meaning Peter got more than his fill of space and time to practice drawing. By the time he turned 10, he declared that he was tired of drawing and wanted to focus on woodcarving as his primary art form. With the firmness of his decision, his father finally relented and bought his son the necessary tools for Peter to be a woodcarver’s apprentice. At 10 years old he began to apprentice for Ulrich Huber (1868-1949) in his hometown of Basel, and he continued to apprentice under Huber for 6 years. During this time, Peter was mainly expected to create roughouts for Huber’s sculptures – but at night he could study fine woodcarving from Swiss master carvers. Peter’s reflection from this time: “For years I had to wake half an hour earlier to build fires and sweep shavings and then carve and carve, and I’ve been carving ever since.
Peter in the Coquier-Roland School of Art in Paris
Following his apprenticeship, Peter spent a couple of years at the Industrial Arts School of Basel, then went on to complete his 2 years of mandated military service. After leaving the military, he was 21 years old and yielded to his wanderlust and love for the work of the famous English woodcarver, Grinling Gibbons, and moved to London. Gibbon’s work is very well-loved and he’s considered to be one of the best Western woodcarvers of all time. His work can still be seen in many of England’s cathedrals, castles, estates, and nobleman’s homes. While living in London Peter was thrilled that he could studyand sketch Gibbon’s carvings by visiting various cathedrals and homes around the city, and could often be found creating charcoal sketches that focused on the common themes of Gibbon’s pieces. Some of his most prized sketches were of Hampton Court, which had many high-relief pieces with naturalistic flair and no fancy cuts (similar to the Chippendale style). Gibbon’s frequent use of flowers, fruit, and foliage motifs served as potent inspiration for Peter’s future work in Texas.
Grinling Gibbons and some of his work
After soaking up all of the inspiration London could offer him, Peter decided to move to Paris to enroll in formal art education at the Coquier-Roland School of Art. Throughout his schooling, he studied clay modeling and sculpting from live models, and ended up having much of his work displayed in the studio. This schooling would prove to be invaluable in providing a strong foundation for his sense of proportions, visualization, and ability to work quickly. While living in Paris he landed his first portrait commission for a Russian nobleman, though the payment didn’t come for months after!
We’ll dive into the next chapter of Peter Mansbendel’s story soon…
As for my own work and life over the past month, it’s been a busy one!
I’ve been making good progress on a couple of the projects I mentioned last month; the kubbestol and the commissioned Byzantine crowns.
For the kubbestol, I’ve been able to work on the back of the chair to begin carving in the relief foliage design.
working on the kubbestol
As you may have noticed, I use a lot of acanthus foliage in my carvings. From the beginning of my exploration of carving, I’ve always loved and incorporated acanthus plants into my designs because of their beauty and uniqueness. The leaves are so textural and are often found in various kinds of European woodcarving, and can be found as far back as 500 BCE in Greecian art.
I’m also still in the process with the Byzantine crowns that were commissioned by a couple recently. Getting them perfectly lined up and set was tricky because of the unusual angles, but I found a method that ended up being successful. The next step is beginning to carve these beauties, make sure to check back next month to see the progression.
After taking a break from hiking in October it was really nice to get back to my hiking group throughout November! I was able to go on a handful of hikes but these 2 were particularly memorable.
First was the Black Mesa Otowi Peak trail on the Rio Grande. This is a 5.0 -mile out-and-back trail with 1100’ of elevation change. It is located north of Santa Fe, New Mexico just past the Las Capansas housing additions. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 3 hours to complete. This is a popular trail for birding, hiking, and walking, but during this time of year crowds being to dwindle so it didn’t feel crowded. The trail is open year-round. When I went on November 3rd the temp was about 50 and it was lightly raining and the wind was blowing briskly on the peak. Good to be back hiking after a few weeks off!
On Nov 10th my hiking buddies Thad, Richard, and I headed up to hike near Ski Santa Fe. We started our hike at 10,200’ elevation then hiked Windsor-Ravens Ridge up to Deception Peak at 12,377’. It was 6 miles and 2,400’ of elevation change. The hike was almost entirely in snow which made it very difficult but we had a breathtaking view as a reward for our hard work. You could see all the way into Colorado with clear skies and sun. It was a chilly start at 28 degrees and around 35 on Deception peak. A real butt kicker of a hike!
We also had our first snow of the year here in Santa Fe ❅
Looking forward to catching up with you again in the new year! I hope this holiday season is full of rest, fun, and joy for you and your loved ones.
If you have questions about anything in this post, feel free to leave me a comment below.
If you read last month’s post or email you probably know that I participated in this year’s Santa Fe Studio Tours, and I can happily report that it went great! If you came to the studio tour it was great to see you. I was able to meet other artists and people from or visiting Santa Fe who love art, so I’m looking forward to future tours as well.
Because of the studio tour and work last month, I haven’t had as much time for hiking – but I have started two new woodcarving projects. Both of these projects are outside of the work I usually do, and I really enjoy trying new approaches and styles.
A couple in Dallas commissioned me to make two of these Byzantine wedding crowns. After learning about the interesting history behind the crowns and Stefana ceremony I began the process of planning and creating.
typical metal Byzantine crowns
In Greek Orthodox Christian cultures, one of the most important and memorable aspects of weddings is a Byzantine Rite (ritual) called the Mystery of Crowning. In Greek Orthodox communities, these crowns are called the ‘Stefana.’
Following the betrothal ceremony, the Mystery of Crowning is performed on the newly married couple utilizing two Stefanas – one for each person. The use of these crowns as well as the ceremony were borrowed from Pagan traditions, then adapted for each culture’s traditions and beliefs.
During the Stefana ceremony, the couple join hands and continues holding hands for the rest of the wedding. The priest recites a prayer three times in front of the groom and then three times in front of the bride, and then changes directions – reciting the prayer three times again in front of the bride, and three times again in front of the groom. The priest will then place the wedding crowns on the couple’s heads, uniting them as husband and wife.
Lastly, the Koumbaros (the groom’s best man) exchanges the crowns three times – placing the groom’s crown on the bride’s head, and vice versa, three times.
To begin the process, I sketched out the design of both crowns to review with the clients and finalize details. As you can see below, I use grid paper to ensure proper spacing and sizing.
Next, I had six pieces of mahogany cut to size for each crown and set them up to check details before attaching them together. After confirming everything was the right size and cut, I taped all the pieces together to see what the finished crown would look like.
This is as far as I’ve gotten in the process so far, but I’ll continue to update my progress in future posts. If you have questions about this project feel free to let me know in a comment at the bottom of this post!
The other main project I’ve been working on is this piece of a woman holding a bouquet of flowers. This approach and style are far from my usual work but I’ve been enjoying working on a woodcarving piece that’s essentially a sculptural portrait.
I started by carving the body and face, and kept the flowers she’s holding and at her feet separate initially for ease of carving. After I put some detail into the top set of flowers I attached them so I could start working on the hands and arms as well.
Look for updates on this project too in next month’s post!
Because October was a busy month with the Santa Fe Artist Studio Tour and work I didn’t have a chance to go on any hikes. But we have been experiencing some gorgeous Fall weather and sunsets here in Santa Fe so I wanted to share some photos from myself and friends of mine from the past month:
Looking forward to having more time in November for woodcarving and clay projects, and I’ll be sure to update you about those and the projects mentioned in this post as well.
And if you haven’t already, make sure to sign up for my newsletter! By joining you’ll have first access to new posts, information about commission availability, and more behind-the-scenes photos and info.
I hope November treats you well, see you here next month!
