Single block of wood has been hand carved and enhanced with paint and stains for color. Varnish touches "wet" the eyes and lips. A machine-sewn pate of synthetic "hair" has been applied to the cranium with dabs of simple adhesive. Deerskin lacing secures each of the two braids into which this "hair" has been divided.
Carved details of this portrait bust reveal an exceptional attention to even the finest details of an expressive face, many years in the sun. Though seeming resolute and filled with discipline, a smile is present beneath the surface of this very human countenance.
Description | Single block of wood has been hand carved and enhanced with paint and stains for color. Varnish touches "wet" the eyes and lips. A machine-sewn pate of synthetic "hair" has been applied to the cranium with dabs of simple adhesive. Deerskin lacing secures each of the two braids into which this "hair" has been divided. Carved details of this portrait bust reveal an exceptional attention to even the finest details of an expressive face, many years in the sun. Though seeming resolute and filled with discipline, a smile is present beneath the surface of this very human countenance. |
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About the Artist | Born in 1930 in Decatur, Illinois, Wakefield moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1954 and to Phoenix, Arizona in 1964. He became known for his humorous wood carvings of primarily cowboys and American Indians. At one time his wood carvings were shown at Kennedy Art Galleries in New York and at Overland Trail Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona. Wakefield was a member of the Arizona Woodcarvers Association and the National Woodcarvers Association. His carvings won Best of Show in a competition staged by the Arizona Woodcarvers as well as a top carver award in Southern California. A publication titled "Top Hand" illustrated the latest of 30 different bronzes by Wakefield, most cast from his original wood carvings. This distinctive artist died in 2003. |
Culture | USA |
Medium | Polychrome wood, theatrical hair, deerskin lacing |
Size | 10" height X 10" width X 6" depth |
Signed | "Wakefield" carved into bust's neck (proper left) |
Date of creation | 1955-1965 |
Condition | Excellent |
Provenance | HR-1 |