My First Octopus!

Cephalopods aren't at all common here in the desert but I carved one just the same.  This octopus is carved from seasoned Sycamore and stands a full 36 inches tall. Shadows were burned in and his angry color comes from a coat of "Australian Timber Oil, Mahogany Flame."

There's a certain amount of stress involved with carving such an unusual creature.  Each time I counted the legs, I wondered if I had lost track or counted one twice.  No one wants a septopus!

Cephalopod or dancer?

I've been studying and sketching octopus for a while in preparation of carving my first one.  Today I roughed out the head and eyes then took a photo when it was looking pretty good.  Now that I see that photo enlarged, I see the torso of a human dancer rather than an ascending cephalopod.

Who'd have thunk it?