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My Name is Steve, I am Canadian, and though I love the land that raised me, I am not a patriot. I have visited many countries with differing cultures, and in every one I have found a brother. It is our separation which is the illusion. I enjoy philosophy, astronomy, symbolism and studying the mystery religions. Economics and monetary theory are hoaxes we must quickly see through before a powerful elite rules a slave race, but I digress.
Bone for me is a spiritual thing. It's form and composition are testament to the life it once supported. This impression is never lost, no matter the forms it takes or the age it lasts. I have a tremendous respect for North American native traditions surrounding the respect for animals spirits. Even beef bone is precious to me. Cows are enormously powerful animals, beautiful and strong, happy to be peaceful, and well equipped to defend themselves. Their bone is strong and thick, milk white and great to carve. God bless the humble cow! That they have discovered bone carvings dating to the beginning of man, it excites me to think "who might see my carvings thousands of years from now?". I wear each completed piece to allow it to absorb some of my essence. So far I have only made pieces as gifts, though I have met a lot of people who have asked to buy one, I find money does little to inspire me. I would love to use carving as a method to support my families needs, but a debt based monetary system only devalues all that can be bought with it (hence why destroying our natural resources is so rampant).
My beautiful wife Miranda and I, in New Zealand for a year while she does teacher's college on exchange.
I was only just recently introduced to bone carving while traveling New Zealand this past year. I met a spry old Maori river guide everyone called Bones, living on the bank of the Mohaka River (the place of dancing) in the shadow of Te Waka. He carved, and played all sorts of musical instruments, and at 56 he was in better shape that most North American 26 year olds. He shared my affinity for cannabis and we spent many nights talking well after dark sharing stories. I also spent a couple months in Gisborne where I met Marilyn and Ewen from the jade shop. They supplied me with used diamond bits and allowed me to rummage through their off cuts, as well as suggesting Stephen Myhre's book. Looking through crates of west coast jade blew my mind as to the patterns and colors of such a noble stone. I have worked a few jade pendants and copied the whale tale from Stephen's book with a piece of inanga jade.
I feel very fortunate to have a forum to learn from so many talented artists and craftsmen. I hope as I continue to learn, my own contributions might aid to the re-awakening of man's creative potential. So far I have worked primarily through imitation and experimentation, but as my skill and learning increases I look to create new and original pieces. It is easy to see the Maori influence in my early work.
Stephen Myhre's book really upped my game.
Mania are generally carved with the head of a bird and body of a man and represent a guardian of spiritual energies. I like the inclusion of the whales tale, representing sky (bird) land (man) and ocean. I made this for my brother.
This is a fertility tiki I made for my wife. Beef bone with paua shell inlay. The red fetal tiki is from horse bone and was a lot of fun to make. Miranda and I are working on making our first baby.
I plan to revisit this piece as my hand carving skill is honed to create some finer details. I was however very happy with the paua and mother of pearl inlay. Fantails Rock!
This was a design suggestion from my wife and I was fortunate Bones was willing to share some pieces of whale bone with me. In Ontario we call the furled leaves of ferns, fiddle heads. The Maori word for such a spiral is koru, representing beginning, life and harmony. This has been my first real departure from rotary tool to hand gravers. As I have learned it is the only way to create such precise lines. I have yet to learn how to finish the surface in the depth of the carving, advice is welcome.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about me. I have really been enjoying reading the who's who myself and seeing all the magnificent works of art. I look forward to learn about you.
! Do you have concave and convex scrapers? I don't know if those are the right terms, sorry. If you just have a straight edge, take light shaving movements, diagonal to the chatter lines, if possible, to shave them off, then scrape along the depth and gently take each pass outwards a little bit at a time. Or, a rounded edge tool that can fit the curl and scrape upwards and outwards. There are so many times that I wish that I could be a fly on the shoulder of another carver to watch how the carving goes. I also wish that it would be easier to give the help one might need to "get it" by watching. 
