Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Northwest Natives Alphabet Set: A-Z Finished!

A-Z: Northwest Natives
Here they are folks, the complete Northwest Natives Alphabet set! An incredible amount of work went into these carvings. I had a lot of fun learning about our native species, some are old favorites and others are completely new to me. The entire set will be on view at an upcoming show in Seattle. Please stop by if you're in town.

Diem Chau
A-Z: Northwest Natives
August 30th - October 12th, 2013
Artist Reception: Thursday, Sept. 5th,  6-8pm
G. Gibson Gallery
300 S. Washington Street
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 587-4033

Links to individual images of my Northwest Natives Alphabet Set:
A-G: HERE
H-M: HERE
N-T: HERE
U-Z: HERE 

Northwest Natives: A-M
Letters A-M
A is for Aquilegia (Columbine)
B is for Bald Eagle
C is for Cougar
D is for Dogwood
E is for Elk
F is for Fox
G is for Grizzly Bear
H is for Heron
I is for Iris
J is for Juniper
K is for Killer Whale
L is for Lynx
M is for Mountain Goat

Northwest Natives Alphabet Set: N-Z
Letters N-Z
N is for Northern Spotted Owl
O is for Otter
P is for Painted Turtle
Q is for Quinault Tribe
R is for Rhododendron
S is for Salmon
T is for Timberwolf
U is for Urchin
V is for Viola
W is for Wolf Eel
X is for Xanthogrammica (Giant Green Anemone)
Y is for Yuma myotis (Vesper Bat)
Z is for Zapus princeps (Western Jumping Mouse)

A-Z: Northwest Natives
A-Z: Northwest Natives Alphabet
I would like to make a print of this set available for sale... maybe even a postcard collection of the entire set?  I will keep you guys updated!

Interview w/ Nancy Guppy for Seattle Magazine!
I had so much fun w/ this interview, thank you for coming over Nancy!  Check out my quad-chins yo!

Northwest Natives Alphabet Set: U-Z

Northwest Natives Alphabet Set: U-Z
These are the letters U-Z of my Northwest Natives Alphabet Set.  The full set will be exhibited at G.Gibson Gallery in Seattle.  Since the show is in the Pacific Northwest I thought I'd make a tribute to my neck of the woods. Every letter is paired with species that is native to the PNW (Pacific Northwest).   Please stop by to see the show if you're in town.

Links to the rest of my Northwest Natives Alphabet Set:
A-G: HERE
H-M: HERE
N-T: HERE
U-Z: HERE
The entire set can be seen HERE.

Diem Chau
A-Z: Northwest Natives
August 30th - October 12th, 2013
Artist Reception: Thursday, Sept. 5th,  6-8pm

G. Gibson Gallery
300 S. Washington Street
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 587-4033

U is for Urchin
U is for Urchin

Urchin 360 View
Urchin 360 View

V is for Viola
V is for Viola
There are MANY native violas in the NW.  They are one of my favorite plants in the garden, truly carefree and well adapted to our region.  The flowers are edible, I love candied violets as well.


Viola 360 View
Viola 360 view
I really enjoyed making these flora-based crayons.  My next alphabet set might have to be plant based...

W is for Wolfeel
W is for Wolf Eel
Scientific Name: Anarrhichthys ocellatus
Common Name: Wolf Eel

Wolfeel 360 View
Wolf Eel 360 View


X is for Xanthogrammica
X is for Xanthogrammica
Scientific Name: Anthopleura xanthogrammica
Common Name: Giant Green Anemone

Xanthogrammica 360 View
Xanthogrammica 360 view

Y is for Yuma myotis
Y is for Yuma myotis
Scientific Name: Yuma myotis (Myotis yumanensis)
Common Name: Vesper Bats or Mouse-eared Bats

Yuma myotis 360 View
Yuma myotis 360 view


Z is for Zapus princeps
Z is for Zapus princeps
Scientific Name: Zapus princeps
Common Name: Western Jumping Mouse

Zapus princeps 360 View
Zapus princeps 360 view

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Northwest Natives Alphabet Set: N-T

N-T
These are the letters N-T of my Northwest Natives Alphabet Set.  The full set will be exhibited at G.Gibson Gallery in Seattle.  Since the show is in the Pacific Northwest I thought I'd make a tribute to my neck of the woods. Every letter is paired with species that is native to the PNW (Pacific Northwest).   Please stop by to see the show if you're in town.

Links to the rest of my Northwest Natives Alphabet Set:
A-G: HERE
H-M: HERE
N-T: HERE
U-Z: HERE
The entire set can be seen HERE.

Diem Chau
A-Z: Northwest Natives
August 30th - October 12th, 2013
Artist Reception: Thursday, Sept. 5th,  6-8pm

G. Gibson Gallery
300 S. Washington Street
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 587-4033

N is for Northern Spotted Owl
N is for Northern Spotted Owl
Scientific Name:  Strix occidentalis caurina

360 View Northern Spotted Owl
Northern Spotted Owl 360 View

O is for Otter
O is for Otter
Scientific name: Lontra canadensis
Common Name: North American River Otter

360 View Otter
Otter 360 View


P is for Painted Turtle
P is for Painted Turtle
Scientific name: Chrysemys picta

360 View Painted Turtle
Painted Turtle 360 View
This is probably my favorite crayon from the set.  I love how ripples turned out.  I carved the turtle on top first, but was unsatisfied with how small it was compared to the whole crayon.  I wanted the carved portion to be larger so I added a pond scene with another turtle, lily pads and rippling water. 

Q is for The Quinault Tribe
Q is for The Quinault Tribe

360 View Quinault Woman
Quinault Woman 360 View

R is for Rhododendron
R is for Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus with more than a 1000 species, it's also Washington State's state flower. 

360 View Rhododendron
Rhododendron 360 View

S is for Salmon
S is for Salmon

360 View Salmon
Salmon 360 View

T is for Timberwolf
T is for Timberwolf
Scientific name: Canis lupus
Common Name: Timber Wolf, Timberwolf, Grey Wolf or Common Wolf

360 View Timberwolf

Timberwolf 360 View



Thursday, August 8, 2013

Northwest Natives Alphabet Set: H-M

H-M
These are the letters H - M of my Northwest Natives Alphabet Set.  The full set will be exhibited at G.Gibson Gallery in Seattle.  Since the show is in the Pacific Northwest I thought I'd make a tribute to my neck of the woods. Every letter is paired with species that is native to the PNW (Pacific Northwest).   Please stop by to see the show if you're in town.

Links to the rest of my Northwest Natives Alphabet Set:
A-G: HERE
H-M: HERE
N-T: HERE
U-Z: HERE
The entire set can be seen HERE.

Diem Chau
A-Z: Northwest Natives
August 30th - October 12th, 2013
Artist Reception: Thursday, Sept. 5th,  6-8pm

G. Gibson Gallery
300 S. Washington Street
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 587-4033

H is for Heron
H is for Heron
Scientific name: Ardea herodias
Common Name: Great Blue Heron

Heron 360 View
Great Blue Heron 360 View
I actually see these guys regularly.  Their wingspan is AMAZING!

I is for Iris
I is for Iris
There are many native irises in the Pacific Northwest.  


Iris 360 View

J is for Juniper
J is for Juniper
There are 3 native species of Juniper to the NW.
Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis)
Common Juniper (Juniperus communis)
Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum)

Juniper 360 View
Juniper 360 View
I based this carving off the common juniper.  I was told some juniper berries are edible, but I've never tried it. 

K is for Killerwhale
K is for Killer Whale
Scientific name:  Orcinus orca
Common name: Killer Whale, Orca Whale, Orca

Killerwhale 360 View
Killer Whale
I really had fun doing this guy.  The 2 color combo was a challenge, positioning the whale's body on this crayon was also hard.  I finally just took some liberties and placed his dorsal fin on top of his head.

L is for Lynx
L is for Lynx
Scientific name: Lynx canadensis
Common name: Canadian Lynx

Lynx 360 View
Lynx 360 View


M is for Mountain Goat
M is for Mountain Goat
Scientific name: Oreamnos americanus
Common name: Mountain Goat or Rocky Mountain Goat

I do not have a 360 view of the goat yet.  Will post it as soon as I can.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Northwest Natives Alphabet Set: A-G

A-G: Northwest Natives
I've been working on a new alphabet set for an upcoming show in Seattle.  Since the show is in the Pacific Northwest I thought I'd make a tribute to my neck of the woods.  Every letter is paired with species that is native to the PNW (Pacific Northwest).  It was a really fun project to put together and learned a lot about the local wild life... X and Z were especially hard to find.  Please stop by to see the show if you're in town.  More letters to come!

Links to the rest of my Northwest Natives Alphabet Set:
A-G: HERE
H-M: HERE
N-T: HERE
U-Z: HERE
The entire set can be seen HERE.

Diem Chau
A-Z: Northwest Natives
August 30th - October 12th, 2013
Artist Reception: Thursday, Sept. 5th,  6-8pm

G. Gibson Gallery
300 S. Washington Street
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 587-4033

A is for Aquilegia (Columbine)
A is for Aquilegia (Columbine)
Aquilegia canadensis L. 
Common names include Eastern red columbine or Wild red columbine.  Found in most of North America. 

Aquilegia
I grow these in my garden, they're really beautiful and like most native plants they require very little maintenance.

B is for Bald Eagle
B is for Bald Eagle
Scientific name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus
They can be found year round in the PNW.  I marvel when I see them in real life, most of the time it's crossing the 520 or perched on a log in Puget Sound.

Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle 360 view

C is for Cougar
C is for Cougar
Scientific name: Puma concolor

Cougar
Cougar 360 view

D is for Dogwood
D is for Dogwood
Scientific name: Cornus nuttallii
Common name: Pacific Dogwood

Dogwood
Dogwood 360 view
It's amazing to see the Pacific Dogwood tree flower.  They live under the forest's canopy, but are fairly tall themselves.  When flowering their white blooms POP against the forest's deep emerald background.  You can't NOT look.

E is for Elk
E is for Elk
Scientific name: Cervus canadensis

Elk
Elk 360 View
I'm really happy with how this carving came out.  I'm especially proud of the antlers and fur texture.

F is for Fox
F is for Fox
Scientific name:Vulpes vulpes
Common name: Red Fox

Fox
Fox 360 View
I styled this fox after the Japanese Kitsune statues.

G is for Grizzly
G is for Grizzly
Scientific name: Ursus arctos
Common name: Grizzly Bear or North American Brown Bear

Grizzly
Grizzly 360 View
You'll notice he's holding a fish in his paws.