| The art of engraving in ivory and bone. While the word scrimshaw comes
from 19th century whalers, the technique has been around since the stone
age. Scrimshaw has evolved from the mostly crude work of sailors into a
highly refined contemporary art form. While many modern scrimshanders
stay close to the nautical roots of the art form, some of us have chosen
to take this technique in a different direction. Using the traditional
techniques and materials as a starting point I follow my own artistic
vision. My work is created by painstakingly punching thousands of tiny
holes in the surface of the ivory and filling them with black oil paint.
This technique takes many hours of meticulous labor, but it makes it
possible to achieve very delicate gradations of tone resulting in
incredibly lifelike images. | |