"The Old Woman"
is being carved in a piece of ebony which was given to me. Evidently,
it had been laying around a barn for years. The bottom half of
this piece will not be carved, but sanded and finished. This wood
is extremely hard; I broke at least three tools getting this far
(the piece is about 2/3 complete in this photo).
(The "Old Woman" is 16" high including the base.)
Here, the different
colors of the ebony are clearly visible. In some places, it is
yellow, in others purple, brown and black. The finished figure
will be more resolved than this, but it will not be smooth.
View from below; one
hand will be fisted, the other, relaxed. She's got a bit of defiance
left
You may see more of "The Old Woman" and other of Steff's carvings at http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/9714/ .