Commissioned Woodcarvings

I’ve had many opportunities to carve trees for homeowners.  These trees had diseases or other imminent threats to their health.  Each client decided to give the trees they cherished new life as wood carvings.  I work to develop designs that are meaningful and take full advantage of the tree’s potential.  I also work with each client to decide the type of preservative treatment.   Although the eventual decay of wood is inevitable outdoors in a damp climate, the carving’s longevity can be extended.  Each time I seek to maximize the client’s years of enjoyment with minimal environmental impact.  Here are some of the carvings I’ve created for homeowners.

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These two Pileated Woodpecker were carved in Rose Valley, PA for Lynn Kelley and Jim Castellan.  Their Ash trees were healthy but not for long.  The Emerald Ash Borer beetle is steadily and inevitably marching its way eastward.  It is only a matter of time before the 40 or so ash trees surrounding their home succumb to this ruthless invader.  In order to enjoy the tree as long as possible they hired me to treat the wood and carve the birds.  The black is achieved by burning the surface of the wood with a torch.  I presented the drawing to the clients for approval before starting the work.

“When we took down some trees near our house recently, we looked into sculpting one off our patio. We considered a couple of sculptors and chose Roger Wing. He visited our property and we discussed our ideas, settling on a pair of pileated woodpeckers. He soon produced a sketch that we accepted. During the summer of 2015 it was a pleasure to watch him as he quickly and artfully worked during a few visits to bring the woodpeckers to life. On his last visit he applied his recommended trunk preservative and wood oil treatment. Roger was easy to communicate with throughout our project. He answered all our questions with the reasons behind his answers including the limited maintenance. Without reservation we gladly recommend Roger Wing to anyone considering a tree sculpting project. His woodpeckers sculpture has received very positive comments from visitors and continues to provide us pleasure.”  Jim Castellan

 

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I created this tableaux of a Belted Kingfisher in five different instances, perched, diving, striking the water, rising with a fish, and returning to its perch to dine, for Libby and Jeff Lucas of Medford, NJ.  The setting and the weather were ideal.  Each day the color of the leaves turned deeper and more vivid.  It took a while to settle on a subject to carve that made use of the tall skinny pair of trees, but once work began Jeff and Libby were fully on board, enthusiastic, and supportive.

 

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I really had fun carving this Ganesh, the Hindu elephant god, for Pat and Tim Brenza of Annapolis, MD.  They raise egg laying chickens, honey making bees and make tasty beer.  I represented each of these interests in the carving.  Here is what Pat had to say about the experience:

“Roger carved Ganesh from a red cedar whose health was compromised. The tree was a gift from a neighbor to my husband’s mother in the 1930’s. We wanted to honor her memory so rather than cutting the tree totally down, a carving was a good solution. We see it as we come up our driveway as do guests and the mail delivery and the UPS driver or FedEx. Anyone who visits us is greeted by Ganesh, the remover of obstacles. It was a pleasure to have Roger here for a while and to watch the carving progress.” Pat Brenza, Annapolis, Maryland

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