Coachwood Duck, 260mm long, on ebonised red cedar base
Coachwood (Ceratopetalum apetalum) native to eastern Australia, was apparently used to make coaches in the early days. Its a very hard timber & difficult to carve due to the presence of that swirling grain, but when it’s polished, it glows!
My mentor & friend, Don Powell, master carver, said when I started off ‘If you can carve a duck, you can carve anything’, so I practiced. I have quite a few floating around the house.
Lindsay Ham 