Educated at Harvard and Cambridge in English literature and philosophy, David Esterly’s The Lost Carving: A Journey into the Heart of Making is a profoundly passionate, insightful and special book written by a woodcarver, poet and philosopher; simultaneously a reflective memoir and an absorbing contemplation of the artisan’s creative process.
The sight of an exquisite carving in a London church affected Esterly profoundly, causing him to abandon his academic career and and dedicate his life to replicating the naturalistic style of the forgotten practitioner, Grinling Gibbons, in an attempt to master the demanding practice of woodcarving. In particular, The Lost Carving details Esterly’s experience at Hampton Court, where in eloquent prose he describes the process of re-carving a Gibbons piece that was previously destroyed in a fire.
The book is an exquisite detailing of the preservation of an old art; a compelling documentation of the process of developing an authentic voice via the creative practice; and the tale of a remarkable journey undertaken by an individual relentlessly pursuing perfection in an unforgiving medium. But perhaps the most arresting aspects of this book are its intricate, thorough and honest reflections on the creative process. Esterly articulates the process of experimentation, the mistakes, and the mishaps: trusting in the self and blindly, instinctively feeling one’s way through.
Esterly’s knowledge of woodcarving is incomparable and his reflections on making clearly relate to all aspects of creativity and the generation of ideas. There are strong philosophical undertones throughout the book; indeed, it’s quite motivational. As readers, we feel as though we are engaging with the private journal of an intense and poetic man. We share his innermost thoughts, obsessions, fears and insecurities. But the book is just as much a study on Gibbons and woodcarving as it is a personal reflection on what it means to have an artistic practice.
To keep us interested, Esterly will often switch between multiple dialogues – sometimes he’ll give us an intellectual lesson on crafting tools, sometimes he’ll reminisce about the past, sometimes he’ll provide us with a 17th century history lesson about Gibbons’ carving and sculpture, and sometimes he’ll speak with conviction about the restoration process.
In The Lost Carving, Esterly ably demonstrates that there is always something new to be uncovered, new knowledge to be obtained. A profoundly passionate, versatile, insightful and special book.
Rating: 4 ½ stars out of 5
The Lost Carving: A Journey into the Heart of Making
By David Esterly
Paperback, 280 pp, RRP $29.99
ISBN: 978-0-7156-4547-5
Bloomsbury
