Chip Carved Basswood Boxes: How Wood Carving Became My Life

Hi everyone, I’m Tatiana.

I am a professional woodcarving artist with a degree in Applied Fine Arts from the Volga Regional State University in Russia. I specialize in chip carving on basswood and draw my inspiration from my own life, nature, and music. I’ve been carving ever since I visited a woodcarving studio in 2008 and was so struck by the craft that I was inspired to try it for myself.

But when I was a kid, I had a passion for…music. Learning music and playing instruments was my life and I thought of nothing else until all my beloved teachers left, one by one, within a year, and I was left without any musical role models. I felt sad and a little betrayed; I lost all interest in music and refused to play. For a while, I didn’t have anything I loved doing, but one day, my very concerned mom came home with an application to a fine-arts school, and I thought – “why not give it a shot?”

I’m so glad I did because that’s where I found my true passion – creating things with my hands. Now, wood carving is my life. I still love music and always play my favorite tunes while drawing and planning out new patterns – beautiful melodies inspire me as I go and remind me of special and important moments in my life, which are a big part of my designs. When I’m carving, I like to work in silence – the process becomes a kind of meditation and a path to self-reflection and introspection – an activity that brings peace and satisfaction to my introverted nature.

My designs are a tribute to my childhood home – a cozy wooden house – and to all the happy memories from that time. I am often inspired by beautiful landscapes and nature, film, books, and, of course, music. As an artist, I always strive to create something original, something that is reflective of my experience, something authentic; that means that I sometimes I break rules and throw conventions of the craft out the window, but that’s what makes my work true, real, and mine.

More info: Etsy