Picking up the Pieces

[Casey Harbison <dragonphyre@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Linda,

You  have started quite an interesting discussion. As a relative newcomer to
carving, it helps me to know that other people have developed ways to deal with
frustration and unplanned events. This summer, I was doing the final polishing
on an alabaster carving of two cats, when one of the ears broke off and flew
across the room. For about fifteen seconds, I stood there in denial. Then it
sank in. I had planned on entering the piece in a show, but I saw no way to fix
the problem so I dejectedly put it on a shelf and started on another project.

Weeks later, I decided to salvage the piece as best I could, by recarving the
ear in in a position flat against the head. When I took it to a local art club
meeting, everyone encouraged me to enter it in the upcoming show, apparently
unaware that it had been "repaired". One friend, who had seen it before and
after, liked the new form better. Well, a little encouragement does me a world
of good, so I took their advice and entered. I was thrilled when the piece won a
purchase award-my first ever in any medium.

So I think I have to agree with those who say that it helps to put a project on
the back-burner for a while and come back to it with a fresh perspective. I
firmly believe that our subconscious mind keeps working on a problem when we are
not actively engaged with it. I had  given up on this piece, but as it turned
out, there was a solution after all.

I think the analogy of getting back on the horse after you fall off is a good
one, but to take it a step further, and paraphrase a famous riding
instructor-Anyone who rides horses is going to fall off eventually, and the
sooner the better if it is to be done properly. Couldn't the same be said about
breaking stone? It's important to learn to deal with it, so maybe it is lucky to
get an early start.

Linda Harbison