Wood Carving

Along with charcoal drawing this may be the oldest means of artistic expression. Stone age peoples the world over are adept at carving woods for sacred as well as utilitarian purposes. Modern steel chisels make the job of shaping the wood easier, but even so, we probably make less wooden sculpture than those of earlier times. Fine grained woods of soft or medium hardness are usually preferred. Certain timbers such as the Linden of central Europe have a particularly good reputation. The harder woods of Australia are less suited to easy sculpture, but produce beautiful results when finished. Modern trends are to make the most of the natural shapes already in the wood.