Portfolio Review | 2022
Happy New Year!
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!