Welcome to Pondside Studio!
Hi! I'm Allen Aardsma. This website is about my woodcarving and artwork. But have fun exploring it, because it also includes some of my writings and music, as well as other's artwork, too.
I hope you enjoy following my progress on the current carving project. You may also enjoy viewing "Carving Videos & Slide Shows" under the "Carving Help" tab, above.
Everything I create is in celebration of the beauty and wisdom of the God of the Bible, Who - besides being my Creator and Savior - is the Master Artist, Consummate Composer, and Infallible Author.
Welcome to Pondside Studio!
Hi! I'm Allen Aardsma. This website is about my woodcarving and artwork. But have fun exploring it, because it also includes some of my writings and music, as well as other's artwork, too.
I hope you enjoy following my progress on the current carving project. You may also enjoy viewing "Carving Videos & Slide Shows" under the "Carving Help" tab, above.
Everything I create is in celebration of the beauty and wisdom of the God of the Bible, Who - besides being my Creator and Savior - is the Master Artist, Consummate Composer, and Infallible Author.
Today in The Studio
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Today, with temperature in the mid-twenties, was a good day spent in doing a variety of interesting things including . . .
- glossing the Golden-crowned Kinglets eyes for the second time
- photographing the Kinglets for my website store
- packing a plastic tub with carvings to take to the Shelburne Museum, Friday.
- shopping in Plattsburgh for just the right baskets for the Rustic Chess Sets
- shopping online for little burlap drawstring bags to put the Rustic Checkers in
- visiting by phone with my good friend and hiking companion, Jim
- doing the final painting on a Tree Swallow I carved several weeks ago for Thais, another good friend [The Tree Swallow is a powertool carving from a single piece of basswood.]
- glossing the Golden-crowned Kinglets eyes for the second time
- photographing the Kinglets for my website store
- packing a plastic tub with carvings to take to the Shelburne Museum, Friday.
- shopping in Plattsburgh for just the right baskets for the Rustic Chess Sets
- shopping online for little burlap drawstring bags to put the Rustic Checkers in
- visiting by phone with my good friend and hiking companion, Jim
- doing the final painting on a Tree Swallow I carved several weeks ago for Thais, another good friend [The Tree Swallow is a powertool carving from a single piece of basswood.]
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS
RUSTIC CHESS SETS
About 20 years ago, while living in Long Lake, NY, my son, Zach, and I made an attractive Rustic Chess Set and the Chess Board to go with it. Many games of chess have been played with that set on that board since then, and, when not being used for play, it makes a great decoration and conversation piece. I never see it without remembering the day Zach and I took a little hike to find the right saplings for the pieces. A very happy memory of spending quality time with my son.
I've decided to make a few more Rustic Chess Sets. So, here is a slide-show of the process.
I've decided to make a few more Rustic Chess Sets. So, here is a slide-show of the process.
LIFE-SIZED BLACK BEAR CUB
A few weeks ago, our close friends, Don & Amy, asked me to carve three "critters" for their fireplace mantle: 1. some Pileated Woodpecker nestlings poking their heads out of their nest hole; 2. an adult Pileated Woodpecker keeping an eye on her nestlings; 3. a Black Bear cub trying to climb onto the mantle. Each of these carvings is more difficult than the previous one. The first two carvings have been completed and installed. It is time, now to tackle the bear cub.
PILEATED WOODPECKER
I recently completed a life-sized, female, Pileated Woodpecker designed to accompany her recently hatched nestlings on the left corner of a customers' fireplace mantle. She will be over-looking her nestlings, but also showing some alarm at a struggling Black Bear cub attempting to climb the opposite corner.
CLAY MODELS
PILEATED WOODPECKER NESTLINGS
EASTERN CARDINAL
Four Cardinals recently hatched in the studio . . . . just in time for Christmas.
CHIHUAHUAN RAVEN
This life-size Chihuahuan Raven has migrated to his appreciative new home in Arizona.
PYRRHULOXIA
"Desert Cardinal"
This beautiful bird - about the same size and shape of our Eastern Cardinal - makes his home in the arid southwest. His powerful beak is designed for cracking seeds and accessing other desert fare.
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW
As a naturalist and artist, the sparrow family has always held a special place in my heart. Sparrows can be a fun challenge to identify, and their subtle beauty amply rewards a closer look.
The American Tree Sparrow is an infrequent visitor to my bird feeder, so it is always a treat to see one. It prefers colder, more northerly regions, the bird books say. I have wanted to carve them for years, but especially I was privileged to examine one closely, enabling me to fully appreciate its beauty.
Many more carving projects, from start to finish, can be viewed by clicking, below.