You can see the fear reflected in the buffalo eyes as they flee the hunter who is merely 3 arrow lengths away. The Indian, arrow drawn and all muscles as taut as the gut of the bow he pulls. Imagine that this fluidity and motion carved in a 15’ X 7’ panel can be conveyed with such beauty and realism.
A major work carved in Alder from assembled 2×8 planks.
Traditionally, a totem pole tells a story and it starts with a conversation between the artist and the client who commissions the work. As the totem develops, interplay between the two in forms of jokes and pranks are included as the carving transpires. This totem pole includes many of the animal totems of the NorthWest tribes to weave a story of the family who commissioned it, as well as some totems borrowed from other cultures to symbolize values important to them.
This totem pole was carved from a 33’ Yellow Pine sourced on the Northern Montana highline. It took 525 hours of carving time to complete. It was raised on a brilliant October day over the span of 8 hours and was much celebrated in a Potlatch that followed.
View work in progress, as shown in photos below.
This Great Bear is friendly and protective. He was carved and placed with the intention of pushing stairway traffic over to the hand rail for a safe journey up and down stairs in a mountain abode. One can’t help but reach out to pet him as they pass by.
This whimsical piece was carved from a solid piece of Douglas Fir which Todd procured not too far from his cabin. View work in progress, as shown in bottom photos.
