[Woodcarver] Re: Maura's Greenman Mantle

[Charles Trella]

Hey Maura -

I am a "wannabe" carver who has been lurking out here for the last few years 
and dabbling in carving, well . . . I would call it whittling since none of 
the two or three things I have done could be confused as real carving. ;-) 
(Just a few lame attempts at wood spirits.)

Anyway, I just wanted to pipe up to say how much I enjoyed your greenman 
mantle pics. I am a huge lover of greenmen (hmm, let me rephrase that . . . 
), I am fascinated by the image of the greenman as well as woodspirits and 
other mythological/fantasy images. I really love the design and you are 
doing a beautiful job carving it. Was this a commission piece or just one 
for yourself? Keep up the hard work. You are doing a great job. Can't wait 
to see the final outcome.  Thank you for sharing this project with us.

Also, a much belated thank you for your hard work on "The State of 
Woodcarving in America" research and report. This was a fascinating read and 
very inspirational. I currently work FT in the IT field and have a long 
daily commute (mid-Hudson valley to Hoboken NJ), as well as a very active 
family with 4 teens, so my time is extremely limited. Thus my "wannabe" 
status. Trying to carve time out of my day to . . . um, carve (bad pun, 
sorry), is next to impossible. So for now I occupy my train time reading as 
much as I can and planning my garage shop, and searching the internet for 
images, stories, bios and ideas that inspire.  Thanks for contributing to my 
dreams.

And actually, thanks to all of you on the list as well. Your examples, 
stories, and insights are inspirational and enjoyable.

Regards,
Chuck