This carving was inspired by one of my favorite people, my aunt Joy.  When Joy was a teenager she loved ballet.  She used to work part time to pay for her ballet lessons.  About a year ago I came across an old photograph of Joy at a ballet recital and was instantly inspired to do this carving for her.  Below are the photo that gave me the inspiration and the carving as it progressed from a log to the finished product.  At Thanksgiving this year I gave the carving to her.  She claims that it is now one of her most cherished possessions. This carving was done in cottonwood and was one of the most technically demanding pieces I have ever done.

 

Step 1: Find a tree and kill it. I've got a long way to go to get from this to a ballerina.

 

Roughed in.

Roughed in some more.

Notice that the legs and upper body are now starting to take shape.

Here I have shaped the body and worked on the face.

The carving is now about 80% finished.  It is now ready for me to start detailing everything.

The finished product.