Hello and welcome to my web page.  I've been wood carving since about 1979.  I love wood; I don't know if it's the grain, color, texture, or knowing that it's one of the greatest resources that we have on the face of the earth.  I carve almost any kind of wood but I do have my favorites such as Catalpa, Black Walnut, Cedar, and generally any type of fruit tree.
    On a completed carving for the finish I normally use Tung Oil.  It takes a lot longer but the results are worth the effort.  The oil tends to bring out the natural rich grain and color of the wood that I love so much.  I use all native Arkansas woods.
    You might say that my style of wood carving is on the rugged side since I leave some bark or something natural on almost every piece.  I can safely say that a little bit of me goes into every carving I create.  Most all of the work I do is original.
    My prices tend to vary depending on the type of wood, size of the project  and time that it takes to carve out whatever is hidden in the particular piece of wood.  Hand carving is sort of a slow process, especially if you count the time in hunting the perfect piece of wood, the carving time, and the finish work.  It is a wonderful feeling when you create something where there was nothing before.  Try it sometime.  If I can help you with anything in the line of wooden treasures, please feel free to contact me.

The artist, Michael Parks, lives in Knoxville, Arkansas and works as a tooling designer for Baldor Electric Co. in Clarksville, Arkansas.  Mike and his wife Yuko have two sons, Kent and Stan.

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