SCULPTURES

Realistic wood sculptures and figurative and portrait woodcarving / sculpting are Fred’s specialties. Carved sculptures on this site are samples of his commissions and personal work. Beside wood, Fred also works with bronze, resin, terracotta, and other media and can carve or sculpt almost any given subject – small or larger than life size.Longing, carved wood sculpture, woodcarving by Fred Zavadil

Fred is recognized as one of the best wood carvers in the USA and Canada. His custom carved wood sculptures are known to carvers and carving art collectors all around the world. During the past 20 years Fred has won best of show or best in masters in almost every woodcarving competition he entered, including first, second and third best of show the same year (2008) in the biggest wood carving competition – The Woodcarving Congress in  Davenport, IO. It was the first time in the Congress’ history that one artist captured all three top awards.  red’s highly detailed realistic wood sculptures can be found in  private and corporate collections and in religious institutions in North America and  Europe.

Fred carves majority of his sculptures from basswood and really likes it. Basswood is easy to carve because it doesn’t have strong grain and holds details very well. The natural color of basswood is a bit uniform and boring therefore Fred invented his own method of staining and finishing. He can give his wood carvings depth and color without painting them. When he paints some of his carvings, he tries to make sure that the wood is still visible under paint.

If you would like to know more about Fred’s methods, check his tips and watch a video about basswood preparation for staining

If you like finishing on Fred’s carving, please read some info and watch video about basswood basswood staining and finishing

 

Wood sculpture, wood carving, Fred Zavadil
Carving a life size basswood sculpture for a client in California

Samples of my wood sculpturesWood sculpture called Dream. Hand carved from basswood by Fred Zavadil

Dream, carved from basswood and stained

“Dream” was entered in 4 competitions:

1. International Woodcarvers Congress, Maquoketa, IA, 2012  – Best of Show

2. Artistry in Wood, Dayton, OH, November 2011 – Best of Show

3. Canadian Woodcarving Championship, Hamilton, ON, January 2011 – Best of Show.

4. Ontario Wood Carvers Association Woodcarving Show, Pickering, ON, October 2010) – Best of ShowArcher sculpture, carved from basswood by Fred ZavadilArcher, basswood sculpture carved by Fred Zavadil

Archer, wood sculpture, stained basswood, Fred Zavadil

Archer, basswood carving

Archer is probably Fred’s most successful wood sculpture – it has won several Best of Shows and Best in Masters in different woodcarving competitions; picture of it was published on the cover of  Woodcarving Magazine (UK) and in numerous carving and hobby magazines. Beside being recognized as a really good carving, Archer also placed second in Sculpture Category in one of the biggest realistic art competitions, The International Art Renewal Salon in 2007 – proving that woodcarving is not just a “craft”.

Longing, wood sculpture, by Fred Zavadil Wood Carving and Sculpting

Rapture, carved wood sculpture, stained basswood, by Fred Zavadil Wood Carving and Sculpting
Rapture, wood sculpture, stained basswood, 4′
Seated, wood sculpture, carved and stained basswood, by Fred Zavadil Wood Carving and Sculpting
Seated, carved and stained basswood
Swing, wood sculpture, Honduras mahogany, by Fred Zavadil Woodcarving and Sculpting
Swing, carved wood sculpture, Honduras mahogany

Sculpture of flamenco dancer carved from Honduras mahogany by Fred Zavadil

Realistic wood sculpture carved from Honduras mahogany, wood carving by Fred ZavadilGirl with a bird, Honduras mahogany, wood carvings by Fred Zavadil

This is natural color of Honduras mahogany, no stain applied.

Girl with a bird, carved wood sculptures, Fred ZavadilSwing, carved wood sculpture, African MahoganyHonduras mahogany vs. African mahogany

Girl with a Bird, Honduras Mahogany Statue  &  Swing, African Mahogany Statue

None of these two carvings were stained, these are the natural colors of mahogany. The African mahogany (right) is darker, not as nice as the Honduras mahogany (left). Honduras (Honduran) Mahogany used to be my favorite but it is commercially exhausted and therefore protected to prevent extinction. African Mahogany seems to be a popular alternative with woodworkers – not that much with woodcarvers. I tried it couple of times but did not like it very much for carving – the grain was twisted and the wood kept cracking, also, the color is different and lacks the range of warm tones of Honduras Mahogany. But, maybe I just did not have the best of luck with the wood.

Water fountain, clay model for a water fountainWater Fountain, Plaster Sculpture, model for casting

Paul, bust , clay sculpture
Bust of our friend Paul, clay with bronze finishing

Pierre Trudeau, portrait sculpture, clay

Wood carvings donated to Ontario Wood Carvers Association and to Windsor Wood Carving Museum

Once in a while, as time permits, Fred donates a small wood  carving or wood burning to carving organizations and institutions to help raise money for promoting the art of woodcarving. The latest was given to the Windsor Wood Carving Museum. 

Woodcarving donated to Ontario Wood Carvers Association, by Fred Zavadil

Woodcarving donated to Windsor Wood Carving Museum, by Fred Zavadil

Wood sculptures by  master wood carver and sculptor Fred Zavadil

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Please check Fred Zavadil Wood Carving and Sculpting Channel on YouTube to see Fred carving

Wood carving, corpus, Fred Zavadil

Custom  wood sculptures in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, USA.

fred.zavadil@gmail.com, 1-519-966-0428

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