Thoughts on carving

This afternoon I worked in the studio, carving a frame with lines of movement that reflect the small painting it is intended for.  The vectors of the painting continue onto the frame.  When I carve, I use my small Japanese gouges like pens, making deliberate strokes that follow the vectors and contours of my design.  The texture created forms an intricate 3D crosshatching and shading effect, separating edges the same way a pen or pencil line does.