Judith Copeland

I grew up in Sarasota, Fla., and spent my college years at USF in Tampa, Lake Forest College in Illinois, and Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. I have been carving wood as my sculptural medium since 1976. My husband and I now live in Melbourne Beach, Fla., where I work from a studio at our home.

As soon as I attempted a sculpture in wood, I knew that this would be my life's work. At least a couple of hours a day are devoted to some aspect of carving. I carve the wood by hand using a mallet and chisels. The sanding is electrical with a random orbital sander and a Foredom tool. The sanding takes just as long as the carving. I hand sand the final round using 600 grit sandpaper. Finally Danish Watco Oil is applied in many applications to penetrate the wood for protection and shine.