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Which woods are commonly used for carving sculpture?
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Sculpture
Visitors viewing A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby, a sugar-coated polystyrene sculpture by Kara Walker, 2014, part of a temporary installation at the former Domino Sugar Refinery in Brooklyn, New York.
In the context of sculpture, both hardwoods and softwoods are utilized as mediums for carving. Because wood possesses a fibrous structure, it offers significant tensile strength, allowing for thinner, more open, and complex compositions than are typically possible with stone.1
Commonly used woods for sculpture include:
- Oak1
- Mahogany12
- Limewood1
- Walnut1
- Elm1
- Pine1
- Cedar1
- Boxwood1
- Pear1
- Ebony1
While these are among the principal materials, many other varieties are also employed by artists. The choice of wood often depends on its grain—some varieties are close-grained and cut easily, while others are open-grained and stringy. Because wood is susceptible to environmental changes like humidity and temperature, as well as potential damage from insects or fungus, it is primarily used for indoor sculpture.1