BACKSTREET GALLERY

Larry LaVoie

CNC Wood Sculpture

 

Larry LaVoie knew he was an artist when he was a kid growing up in Oregon because he wanted to capture, on paper, what he saw in nature.   He learned to draw, and kept drawing, Pacific Northwest wildlife and scenery throughout his 40+ year career in titanium metal casting and processing for aerospace and medical applications.   After retirement, he knew he was still an artist and was inspired to combine his drawings with his engineering skills to create unique pieces of art machine carved in hardwoods.  

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 Larry’s art starts out as a hand drawing or sketch which he then recreates on the computer as a 3-D model. After designing and modeling on the computer the information is transferred to a machine language program and carved with a CNC router (computer numerical control). The intricate design details are created in minute detail using tiny router bits which remove layers of wood as thin as a human hair one layer at a time. The process often requires over 24 hours as microscopic bits of wood are chipped away. This is a tedious process, but the finished product produces a unique look that is well worth the wait. Variations in the type, color and grain of the wood makes each carving unique and distinctive so no two pieces are alike.

 

Larry LaVoie lives in Florence, Oregon and is a lifetime resident of Oregon.