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Carving

Posted on October 11, 2018 by Ben Thompson

I have, at last, completed a panel which I started to carve about thirty years ago when Dorothy and I moved into the Waterford. I had finished decorating the living room and Dorothy had topped it off by sewing drapes for the balcony doors. It turned out, though, that woodcarving was far too messy a process for apartment dwelling–the chips got everywhere We decided that our art education was better done in a studio and that is when we joined The National Academy; me, to take up sculpting and Dorothy to her oil painting.

This summer allowed me almost unlimited access to the balcony where wood chips could fly away into the breeze (beyond my conscience). A couple of snags, however; my carving skills and the muscles needed to sustain them, required a rapid reworking and error correction, and, more importantly, it became plain that my eyesight was nowhere near as accurate as it used to be. The result is somewhat labored and amateurish but, I am now calling it finished and am reasonably satisfied with my late-career effort–a memorial to  all the work we had put in thirty years ago when Dorothy and I planned to stay only five years before we moved to sunnier climes.

 

City view from 41B

 

 

 

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7 Responses

  1. Viveka Melki, on October 11, 2018 at 4:29 pm said:

    Hello Ben, I am trying to reach you about your POW post … lovely carving!

    Reply
  2. Amy Hogaboom, on October 11, 2018 at 4:34 pm said:

    Well done Ben. You and Dorothy were quite the sophisticates, a lovely memory.

    Reply
  3. Craig Charters, on October 15, 2018 at 3:48 am said:

    Ben, I enjoyed your post on finishing your 30 year carving project. Your love of Dorothy and your wonderful life experience in Manhatten is reflected in the carving. I look forward to seeing it on my next visit. I was also surprised to learn that you planned to leave New York after five years.
    Cheers, Craig

    Reply
    • Ben Thompson, on October 24, 2018 at 6:14 pm said:

      Craig. Dorothy and I thought that we would have exhausted the delights of Manhattan in five years or so–then we planned to move to a sunny beach village with an opera house and an airport nearby. We never found such a combination which could draw us away from Central Park and the 92nd Street “Y” Cheers! Ben

      Reply
  4. Nereida Munoz, on October 22, 2018 at 3:41 pm said:

    I am very impressed with your wood carving… I would not have guessed or see any errors. Congratulations, you’ve done another fine job!
    Nereida Munoz

    Reply

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