Custom Portrait, Hand-Carved in Wood

The eyes made me put the box down and just look.

The hands were what I cared about most. They’re beautifully done.

I bought this with my sister and we kept going back and forth on the reference. I'm glad we picked the unposed one. The portrait has Dad’s usual squint and the little tilt he makes when he’s listening.

Quietly beautiful. I keep noticing more around the eyes.

They got my mum’s half smile exactly right.

I chose a photo of Mum from a Sunday lunch, not the portrait we usually use. She's looking off to the side and about to laugh. I was afraid the expression would disappear when the image was simplified for wood. The artist kept the little lift in one cheek, and my brother noticed it before I could point it out. The frame is simple and I'm glad of that. It lets the face hold the room on its own.

I asked for a little more room around my mother’s head in the sketch. Seeing that change before the carving made it easier to say yes. The finished portrait has a lovely stillness to it.

The expression is gentle, exactly as I remember it.

I worried the wood might make my sister’s face look severe. The shading along her cheek is actually quite soft. We gave it to her on Sunday and she spent ages looking at it before finding a place to hang it.

Dad spotted himself immediately. He never likes pictures of himself.

The reference photo of my grandfather was quite faded. I asked them to leave the lines around his mouth, and I’m glad I did. The face has the softness of the original without smoothing away his age.