Harry's Folly

Live music at the Folly

2011-10-21T16:46:00.003-04:00

Last weekend our friends Adele, Bob and David from Charleston SC came to town and treated us to a concert from the porch of the Folly. Our garden was transformed into a magical, dream-like place with great music, friends and fun (the rum didn't hurt either). Wow! Thank you so much, guys!

Croakin' crooner

2011-08-02T09:52:00.003-04:00

This fellow has been living in our little pond for at least four years now. He likes to serenade us with his deep voice.

Mast production

2011-07-29T10:02:00.003-04:00

I made this a few months ago, the boat is carved from teak wood and the base is black walnut.

This is for the birds

2011-07-29T09:27:00.005-04:00

My grandsons were visiting a few weeks ago and they made bird houses to take back home to Virginia. They designed them to look like barns and painted them white and red. This picture is of one of them ready for painting. Nice, huh?

Dog days of summer at the Folly

2011-07-28T18:36:00.004-04:00

Emma and Henry are not as happy about joining me in the folly these days, it gets a little hot out there. They do hang with me for awhile before asking for the AC.

Wall flower

2011-07-28T18:23:00.004-04:00

This wall vase was carved from the stump of a dead dogwood tree. I wish I had taken a picture of the wood before I started work on it, because it looked so bad until I got through the rotten bark
an discovered this wonderful grain under it.

Orange bowl

2011-07-28T18:09:00.003-04:00

This bowl was carved from a limb of a chestnut tree just around the corner from me. The limb was in bad shape and had to be cut because it was hanging over the road, the tree is now doing fine.

Go figure

2010-09-21T17:33:00.003-04:00

I carved this bowl from the wood of a fig tree. I had no idea that fig wood would carve so nicely.
I love figs.

Changing table

2010-07-26T10:40:00.003-04:00

I didn't make this table. I did redo the inlay top and refinished it for my friends Gene and Donna. It was in rough shape (water damage), but I think it turned out fine. I don't usually do this kind of woodwork, but it was nice for a change.

To be or knot to be

2010-07-14T09:47:00.003-04:00

This six-foot-tall figure was carved from a very old heart pine beam that came out of an old building in Virginia. I've titled it "Joy". It reminds Catherine of Allen when he was a little boy.

I found this in an old trunk

2010-07-14T09:08:00.006-04:00

This large bowl was made from a cross-section of a dead maple tree trunk.

Are you a Manatee or a mouse?

2010-03-10T18:39:00.005-05:00

I carved this manatee cane from privet wood.

Bowling for dollars

2010-03-10T18:19:00.002-05:00

Here are a few bowls that I've made over the last couple of weeks. I'm in a rush to make the deadline for the Inman Park Festival coming up this spring in Atlanta.

Snake rattle & roll

2010-03-10T15:18:00.007-05:00

This rattlesnake walking stick was carved from curly willow for my friend, Gene. I think it will be better company on walks than some he's come across in the past.

Give 'em the hook

2010-02-02T16:47:00.003-05:00

These Hawaiian fish hooks are carved from native Koa wood. They graced the tops of two awards presented to distributors at an international conference in Hawaii.

Cool garden

2010-01-27T10:43:00.002-05:00

A bird in the hand

2010-01-27T10:09:00.002-05:00

This eagle walking stick was carved from oak.

mortise and tenonitus

2009-08-31T23:29:00.003-04:00

This piece of heart pine is part of a more-than-200-year-old timber from an old house in Virginia that I'm using for a larger sculpture. My dad had gotten the timbers to use in renovating and repairing his own house in Drewryville. Notice the roman numerals on the side, used by the carpenters to identify the timber for placement in the original house.

Gift horse

2009-08-31T10:48:00.004-04:00

I made this piece with koa wood. It's mounted on a small block of sandstone.

Nostrildamus

2009-08-10T14:12:00.003-04:00

This walking stick was carved from dogwood. The finish is clear lacquer and wax.

Working with friends can get squirrelly

2009-08-03T16:27:00.006-04:00

A while back Catherine and I helped our friend, Mike, publish a story he had created for his children about a squirrel named Charlie and his friends. We enlisted the help of another friend, the amazingly talented Walt Taylor, to illustrate it. For Christmas, I carved Charlie from a piece of cypress wood Mike had. It now stands in his family's garden next to a grand gazebo.

Gate keeper

2009-07-27T22:52:00.003-04:00

Emma just doing her job.

Arbor day

2009-07-27T09:46:00.002-04:00

Catherine and Henry taking a break yesterday, just after we finished our new garden arbor. Next week we'll be planting some jasmine vines to grow up around it. (I built it from parts that used to be an arbor seat that was where the Folly is now.)

Leapin' lizard

2009-05-28T08:02:00.006-04:00

This walking stick is made from oak

Po po Poe

2009-05-21T22:20:00.005-04:00

A watercolor wash of Poe on a really bad hair day.

Emma

2009-05-21T16:43:00.009-04:00

I did a little painting last week at the beach. Here's a quick watercolor wash of Emma, our nine-year-old Boston terrier.

I been to da poe house

2009-05-21T14:21:00.003-04:00

They say Edgar Allen Poe lived on a island in South Carolina when he was a young man in the army, and that he lived in this little house near the beach, where we vacationed last week. And although we didn't see any ravens during our stay, who are we to say he didn't?

I coulda swarm they were here a minute ago

2009-04-13T17:57:00.004-04:00

One of our bee hives decided to swarm the other day and ended up in the very top of our next door neighbor's magnolia tree. I thought that that was it (goodbye bees). But the next afternoon, for some reason they moved to a limb closer to the ground and I was able to capture them by nudging them into a cardboard box. As luck would have it, a friend came over who was getting a hive ready for some bees he was going to buy. Together, we took the bees to his hive and they moved right in!

The eagle has (been) sanded

2009-03-16T17:16:00.002-04:00

My great-nephew, Noah, called up the other day and commissioned me to do this Eagle walking stick. I made it from the limb of a Mulberry tree that grew in my parents' yard – Noah's great-grandparents' yard – in Drewryville, Virginia, so it has special meaning for both of us.

Why only eight tentacles?

2009-03-16T17:02:00.003-04:00

Here's a few better quality photos of the octopus cane, finished a few weeks ago

Turn left and go about 6,348 miles

2009-03-13T13:24:00.008-04:00

You always know where you stand at Bob and Dellie's. I was there last weekend and drew this picture of the sign in their yard that tells you how many miles it is to Folly Beach, LA, DC and a bunch of places in Asia.

Carving with a Shih Tzu on my head

2009-03-03T17:26:00.001-05:00

Do I need a haircut or a rabies tag? What do you think?

I've been itching for these hives

2009-03-02T21:02:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we got two new honeybee starter hives. Here I'm transferring them to their new (boxes) homes in our garden. Good luck with this cold weather, bees.

Yes, I do windows

2009-03-02T20:19:00.007-05:00

This is a watercolor done a few months back (when it was warm around here) of a friend's house.

Hotlanta? Not so much

2009-03-02T12:51:00.002-05:00

I'm ready for spring.

This cane kinda sucks

2009-02-27T08:48:00.003-05:00

This octopus was carved from a limb of a hickory tree in the north Alabama mountains.

Reigning cats and dogs

2009-02-23T18:17:00.002-05:00

I know this isn't a carving or painting but, it's pretty cute. Huh?

Detail work

2009-02-04T14:13:00.003-05:00

With its tail repair and new finish complete, this walking stick is headed back to it's owner in Virginia.

Moonshine

2009-01-27T14:24:00.003-05:00

Here are a few ornaments inspired by photos in Terry Murray's book "Faces on Places". (See Link)

Springtime Folly

2009-01-26T15:57:00.003-05:00

I just ran across this photo of my studio, taken last spring. Man, I'm ready for spring!

Tale of two tails

2009-01-26T11:21:00.004-05:00

I made this dolphin walking stick awhile back. But the tail had broken, so it was time for a face lift - or in this case a tail lift. Luckily I still had a piece of pecan wood from the same tree to work with. After a little sanding and new finish, it will be ready for another go.

A dry sense of style

2009-01-08T13:12:00.003-05:00

I made this maple wood bowl for my mother-in-law, Beth, for Christmas. I think she did a masterful job with the dried arrangement.

Led around by the nose

2008-11-11T14:39:00.004-05:00

This my latest cane made from a limb that someone gave me a few years ago, so I'm not sure what kind of wood it is (maybe mimosa). This Druid has very long hair that serves as the handle and a Cyrano de Bergerac schnoz.

Wood wabbit

2008-10-27T17:28:00.002-04:00

My latest cane made from a holly tree branch. The finish is clear lacquer and wax.

The chips are down... almost

2008-10-27T14:02:00.005-04:00

Another bowl made from maple wood. It's a work in progress, I hope to finish in the next few days.

Snake in the grasp

2008-10-15T20:17:00.006-04:00

A close-up of detail on the curly willow walking stick. Click on photo to enlarge it.

Snaaaaaake!!!!

2008-10-10T14:37:00.003-04:00

This snake walking stick (Allen is the snake handler) is made from curly willow. It's well over five feet long. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

Sunny and mild

2008-10-08T18:10:00.003-04:00

Ornament ready for casting (nice face)

New moon

2008-10-06T19:58:00.004-04:00

Moon ornament ready for the next phase of production

Star gaze

2008-10-06T15:00:00.003-04:00

Star ornament original ready for casting

Casting grouch

2008-10-06T09:28:00.005-04:00

Sun ornament ready for casting

Elves

2008-10-04T15:19:00.003-04:00

The holiday season is coming on so you'll be seeing a lot of ornaments posted this month and next.

If this old chair could talk

2008-10-03T10:54:00.002-04:00

There's nothing really special about this old rocking chair except that it's been in my family for generations. My parents, grandparents and great-grandparents have rocked in it, as have my own daughters and grandchildren. It now sits in the Folly, where I probably spend more time in it than anyone else these days -- carving, talking or dozing off -- but I always offer it to whoever comes by to visit.

Live at the Folly

2008-10-02T10:39:00.009-04:00

This is our friend Bob Tobin, singer/songwriter from Charleston, S.C. Bob's working on a new album and we're designing the cover for the album (or do you say CD?). He was here for a few days last week to get his picture taken and give our friends and neighbors a preview of some of his latest songs. We'll let you know more about the album when it's finished!

You say "puh-cahn", I say "pee-can"

2008-09-18T18:57:00.003-04:00

This is a small serving bowl made from pecan wood. It only took about four hours from start to finish, not bad. The finish is just canola oil.

Trees Company

2008-09-18T15:29:00.007-04:00

A few years ago, our son Allen decided he wanted to build a tree house with a couple of pulley systems for the conveyance of snacks. Of course, once it was built, he moved on to other things, like getting his driver's license and hanging out with friends. But now that he's in college, we've rediscovered it as a lovely retreat for an afternoon glass of wine. Last year, I built my Folly next to it, so now Allen and I both have Follies in the garden!

The pollen count was great today

2008-09-12T16:42:00.002-04:00

The honeybees in the garden did really well considering I got them very late in the season.

Cane rattler or a pain in the asp

2008-09-09T22:29:00.003-04:00

Just about finished with this cane, made of maple (see below). I'm still adding scales (one-by-one) and will add a lacquer finish.

Raising cane

2008-09-09T11:40:00.006-04:00

I started working with this piece of maple wood about two weeks ago. It's going to be a cane.

Gandalf the finished

2008-08-24T23:52:00.002-04:00

Tolkien of my appreciation

2008-08-18T19:07:00.003-04:00

This is a "Gandalf" walking stick I'm making for one of my grandsons. I'm carving it from pecan wood. I still have a lot work to do, but I should have it finished in a few days.

Just another phase

2008-08-18T11:39:00.002-04:00

Another example of a moon ornament from the "Sun, Moon & Star" series

Hobbit hobby

2008-08-14T13:31:00.002-04:00

This elf ornament is one in a series I made for my grand-kids

An old post from an old post

2008-08-13T19:31:00.002-04:00

I posted this carving awhile back (Henry with Druid) from a picture I took shortly after it was finished and placed in the garden. Here it is a few months later showing a little age.

Raspberry moon

2008-08-13T09:39:00.004-04:00

Another ornament with an attitude.

Two for tea

2008-08-12T18:18:00.004-04:00

Both of these walking sticks are made from sassafras wood. Mother nature did most of the work here -- honeysuckle vines wrapped themselves around the young trees, giving them their winding look.

Bowled over

2008-08-12T12:44:00.004-04:00

This is my first attempt (maybe last) at making a bowl. It's made from a cross-section of a maple tree. It was fun for the first couple of hours. Then it turned into hours and hours of hacking and hewing, then hours more of scraping and sanding.

Well, I guess it looks pretty good, but I think I'll stick to walking sticks.

Hey, Moe!

2008-08-07T15:35:00.006-04:00

I was in Houston this week at a photo shoot and met Moe, a two-year-old bulldog. He lives at the studio and, from the looks of things, runs the place. I did a few sketches of him doing his job. He's pretty cute, huh?

Hare of the dogwood

2008-08-01T18:21:00.005-04:00

This cane was craved from dogwood, the long bunny ears serve as the handle.

Dolphin with a porpoise

2008-07-31T23:35:00.004-04:00

This walking stick was carved from a limb of a pecan tree here in Atlanta. The tree was damaged during a storm so I was able to salvage a number promising limbs and branches before they were hauled away.

Walt & Henry

2008-07-31T13:19:00.003-04:00

My friend Walt (a few weeks ago) sketching in the garden, while Henry makes sure he doesn't take anything.

Dogwood dog

2008-07-31T11:23:00.003-04:00

This stick was carved from the limb of a dogwood tree in Sussex Co. Virginia. Dogwood is great for making walking sticks because it's very very strong, but light weight.

Garden, pond, bees & Henry

2008-07-30T21:20:00.005-04:00

A view of the Folly from our garden. I didn't make the frog (found him at a yard sale)

The fish pond is stocked with gold fish and a frog.(I didn't make this frog either, got him as a pollywog)

A new addition to the garden this spring. I checked the hive yesterday and it looks like we're going to be able to harvest honey in a few weeks.

Henry on his porch, he let's me visit once in awhile as long as I don't make him move.

Going holly wood

2008-07-30T11:26:00.003-04:00

Both of these walking sticks were carved from holly tree branches.

The Sun, Moon & Stars

2008-07-23T21:15:00.004-04:00

These 3" ornaments are sculpted from clay, then fired. I then cast them using latex molds and pour a plaster-like material into each mold. After hardening, they are hand-painted and strung with embroidery thread. I currently make about 40 different characters, each with its own personality. Each season, I add a few new ones.

Emma

2008-07-22T15:01:00.008-04:00

This is Emma, our other dog. She's not too happy about Henry appearing on the blog first.

Giraffe Walking Stick

2008-07-21T23:34:00.010-04:00

This walking stick was carved from a single piece of oak wood. It is about five and a half feet tall.

Crescent Moon Walking Stick

2008-07-20T23:28:00.003-04:00

This walking stick is made from a single piece of black walnut.

Henry with Druid

2008-07-19T22:43:00.002-04:00

Henry loves the Folly and the Druids who guard it. He is a specially trained carving dog, chewing up the wood chips that fall from carvings.

Birdbath Druid

2008-07-19T22:34:00.003-04:00

This Druid carved from a cypress post guard the Folly and provide water for birds and Henry.

Venice in progress

2008-07-19T22:30:00.001-04:00

A painting in progress for Catherine, of the view from our apartment window in Venice last year. The water is the Canal St. Andrea.

Harry's Folly

2008-07-18T17:55:00.002-04:00

Another Python for the Paideia auction

2008-07-18T17:32:00.000-04:00

Inside Harry's Folly

2008-07-18T17:23:00.005-04:00

With all the windows open there is a nice cross breeze.

Walking Sticks: The Paideia Python

2008-07-17T13:56:00.006-04:00

This python walking stick was carved for The Paideia School's annual art auction.

Sullivan's Island Lighthouse

2008-07-17T12:51:00.009-04:00

A foray into watercolors . . . the lighthouse at Sullivan's Island, near Charleston.