St. John XXIII Parsh in Buffalo NY commissioned me to carve a four foot tall statue of Pope John XXIII to be installed in the church.  Many years ago, I had carved a four foot tall statue of St. Bonaventure for the church. This page follows the step-by-step process of how the statue will be created.

I start by sculpting a half-size clay model that I will use to take measurements from to enlarge to the wood carving. The clay model helps me resolve any issues about the composition and work out the details.

Next, an actual-size clay model of the head and face  is made to establish a likeness from which I can take measurements for the final carving. 

The statue will be carved from 16/4" kiln dried and milled basswood boards. The boards will be laminated together to form the large block for carving.  I will use mostly a mallet and chisels to do the carving.