The design
The original horse (Muller style) is on a carousel at Cedar
Point amusement park in Toledo, Ohio, USA.
I photographed the horse, gridded and scaled it up to full size and converted the results to my full size workking design.
It took 9 months of part-time carving.
I've been carving for 10 years - starting with small pieces
on driftwood and scrap firewood. This horse, along with the first carousel horse I carved, are the largest pieces I've completed.
The paint is acrylic, with gold & silver leaf on the hoofs, bridle rings, fringe, greenmen, saddle and blanket.
Author's Images & Notes of the Work in Progress.
These are full pictures - please allow time for them to load.
The completed head - this is carved first.
Chris Pye taught me to carve the mane and tail without sanding in his tutorial class in Maine.
The head fitted on the blocked out body.
There are approximately 180 pieces laminated together.
Close up of side view of body.
The legs have now been fitted and we can see the whole horse for the first time.
Close up of Chris Pye's green man on back of saddle - this green man is featured at the entrance of Chris' workshop.
View of the saddle and side of the finished horse.
Second green man on front of horse - from "Elements of Woodcarving" by Chris Pye.
Close up of the finished head
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