Ornamental & figurative woodcarving

David Calvo has worked with his hands as long as he can remember. He trained at the renowned Boston Studio of Arcangelo Cascieri and Adio di Biccari, where he learned a blend of the mechanics and techniques of woodcarving, balanced by the artistic and design aspects of the trade. 

“I’m old school,” David says. “I forge and make my own tools. . . We work much like they did 500 years ago, carving wood by hand.” At his studio in Gloucester, the work ranges from carved architectural decoration to hand-carved custom furniture, ornamental pipe organ screens, and fireplace mantels. “In a cabinet shop, they do straight lines; in a woodcarving shop, we do curves.” 

Describing the process of creating capitols that will adorn an Italianate fireplace, he says, “We start with butternut lumber which has been rough sawn and air dried for a few years. We do a drawing of the proposed design. Once the client approves this, we do a full scale drawing. Then we make a model to get a sense of the heights and work out any problems. Each capitol is carved individually with hand carving tools called gouges. Like a puzzle, the carved pieces are assembled.