Psalme 1... en française
This carving was rendered in 2" thick European Steamed Beech, for a family in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The carving is an updated rendering of an old biblical theme based on Psalm 1:3 and rendered in the French language, NKJV. It depicts the goal of raising a child, that is, that they become "like trees planted by the streams of water...". We want our children to grow strong and healthy, and this Psalm tells us how to do it. If parents follow the precepts of this Psalm, their children will grow in the strength of the Lord.

The carving began with a photo session with one of the four young daughters of the family. From the photo I traced a line drawing of the child and set this drawing into the context of the tree, water, rocks and text. In and through the text I superimposed rays of light and carved the entire background layer in what I call "transparent mode". This means the text moves from "raised" to "incised" as it passes from ray to stamped background.

The carving was intended as a personal gift from the mother to the father, and contains a very personal inscription on the rear of the carving. No doubt, the carving will become a treasured family heirloom.

Notice the irregular border and the strong tool-marking on the leafed area of the tree. Notice also how useful the stamped texture is on the background of the text area. It helps to darken the background and highlight the text above it.