One time I saw a piece of mammoth ivory that was fairly long, but not very thick to create a big free-standing figurine. Also, it had some deep cracks that quite limited possibilities of what can be carved out of it. Luckily, I wasn’t thinking about it at all. As soon as I saw the piece, I knew that it will become one of my most ambitious projects, it was as I already saw the image of the dragon carved into this piece. I knew how challenging it will be, but I enjoyed every moment of working with this piece of mammoth ivory. The dragon become almost free-standing, his wings are barely touching the background, the creature is ready to take the flight. I used every crack to carve around it and rough piece of mammoth ivory was turned into ruins of ancient tower. This ivory carvings stands 9 inches tall (225 mm). This amazing artwork is sold.

Dragons are very interesting objects to carve because there are many fine and intricate details that present a great opportunity to try my skills. One of the most interesting challenges is to see how I can turn this almost flat piece into 3-dimentional scene. I like to see how far I can undercut it’s wings and as you can see, they are barely touching the background. The dragon is almost free-standing and it is hard to believe that entire carving is made out of the one single piece.

The carving is made out of section of the mammoth tusk and has pretty rosewood base. The ivory part is 3.5 inches (or about 90 mm) tall and 3 inches (75 mm) wide. The entire artwork with the base is 4.5 inches (115 mm) tall and 4inches (100 mm) wide.

This beautiful masterpiece is sold. Please contact me if you want me to carve one for you.

I was fortunate to see many medieval ivory carvings in different famous museums. Such incredible art kept my interest for a long time. Most what amaze me are artworks that made of several flat panels carved in deep relieve, it is hard to imagine that so much action can be placed in such small panels. Seeing those diptychs (two panels), triptychs (three panels) and other works stimulated me to create my own “medieval” carving with elements of Gothic art as it was done back then. During medieval ages people preferred carvings with religious theme, those diptychs and triptychs often served as mobile altars for nobility. I chose to go with fairy tale for my carving. My diptych consists of two panels of mammoth ivory, each is 1-1/2″ (38mm) wide, 4-1/2″ (112mm) high and only 5mm thick (that presented a real challenge to create a depth effect). I don’t have any name for it yet, feel free to contribute to the idea and help me to name it. Panels are hinged together, as was done in medieval times, they can be closed as a book or displayed using a wooden base I made for them.

This “medieval” mammoth ivory carving is Sold.

Here I present one of my experiments in bone carving. The material used for this carving is a lower jaw bone of walrus. I’ve found it on the shore of St. Lawrence island and the local people kindly let me take the bone with me. As you can see, it was tumbled in the sea for a very long time before it was washed ashore. I left the rear of the jawbone intact in the same condition as it was found.

A menhir is a large upright standing stone. The function of Menhirs has provoked more debate than practically any other issue in European pre-history. Over the centuries they have variously been thought to have been used by Druids for sacrifices, used as territorial markers or elements of a complex ideological system, or functioned as early calendars. Until recently, menhirs were associated with the Beaker people, who inhabited Europe during the later third millennium BC; the European late Neolithic and early Bronze Age. However, recent research into the age of megaliths in Brittany strongly suggests a far older origin, perhaps back to six to seven thousand years ago. Many menhirs are carved with megalithic art. This often turned them into anthropomorphic stelae, although images of objects such as stone axes, ploughs, shepherd crooks and yokes were common. With the exception of the stone axe, none of these motifs are definite, and the name used to describe them is largely for convenience.

A thin piece of mammoth ivory was used to create this carving.
The ivory carving is SOLD.