There is no higher honor in my little world than having my work recognized by the providers of the Martian surface data used in my carvings. The big cedar piece depicting a singular dune was chosen as their 2026 art show's theme winner! See you in Tucson! lpl.arizona.edu/art/ #spaceart #planetsci

This was an ordinary yellow pine 2x4. I filled the knotty void with gold resin and then carved this wind-sculpted Martian scene. The yellow coloring in the crater is natural to the wood and is complemented by the resin and rosewood base. More like this at artisans.coop. #Mars #LPL #Woodworking #CNC

This custom cribbage board features Emerald Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a Christmas gift for a customer, so I decided to wait until after the holiday to share it here. Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise! Commissions are open from my shop at the maker-owned artisans.coop. #Cribbage

The 'Face on Mars' with slightly exaggerated terrain is carved here into tigerwood and placed at different rotations to the setting sun. Thanks to @uarizonalpl.bsky.social for the Martian surface data! #PlanetSci #Spacetober #SciArt #Pareidolia

title: Space Shuttle w/ Satellite medium: Oil on canvas year: 1984 artist: 10-year-old me #Spacetober

Gale Crater, Mars It's hard to believe that that this piece of eastern red cedar is free of paints, stains, and dyes. One thing we do know is that it is the perfect choice to depict the Martian surface. artisans.coop/pages/seller... #BSNM #sciart #NatureArt #OC #art

The Earth has craters too! Here's Arizona's Meteor Crater Natural Landmark presented in walnut with a frame of striated hickory. There are plenty more Ike this for sale on the member-owned artisans.coop. artisans.coop/pages/seller... #BSNM #sciart #planetsci

These signs are quite fun to make. We can make one together, limited only by the dimensions of my machine and our imaginations. They are available from the Artisan's Coop, a cooperatively owned online marketplace featuring verified handmade gifts. artisans.coop/products/cus... #NatureArt #BSNM

Cribbage, anyone? #Cribbage #Art #BSNM

Mt. Greeley, Montana is carved here into a 4x8 piece of eastern red cedar. This is one part of a larger piece... artisans.coop/pages/seller... #BSNM #Art #ArtShow

This piece was a bit of an experiment. It is essentially an end-grain cutting board with a wood block print carved into it. The customer (and this guy!) couldn't be happier with how it turned out. It's made from walnut, hickory, and one thin piece of red cedar. #BSNM #Art #woodblockprints

Lake Cumberland, KY, the largest artificial lake in the US, presented here in maple, resin, and walnut. This one sold over the weekend, but custom carvings are always available on my shop on the cooperatively owned artisans.coop. #BSNM #KentuckyProud #LiDAR #ThanksNASA

I doubt there is a collective noun for microphone stands. In such situations, we have a duty to create one. A chorus of microphone stands? A timbre? A sibilance? A frequence? Vocabulary aside, they're available in my shop in the member-owned Artisan's Coop. artisans.coop/pages/seller... #BSNM

What kind of microphone do you use for remote meetings? I recommend getting the best-sounding mic you can get your hands on and mounting it in the most stylish way possible. This one is available here: artisans.coop/pages/seller... #BlueskyNightMarket #SciArt #ZoomLife

Somehow the relief carving filled with resin takes on an almost holographic feel. This microphone stand is available from my shop on the awesome Artisans Coop, from which benefits flow to makers and artists, not parasite billionaires. artisans.coop/products/des... #BlueSkyNightMarket #ArtShow #art

An artist friend of mine from Knoxville asked me to carve some wood block prints of his designs. He then took my my carvings to other artist friends and asked them to do their thing. The end result is a sort of a cavalcade of artistry that I am most happy to be a part of.

This fun little carving in walnut and resin features the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River in the heart of the National Park. This and other carvings can be had from the verified-handmade online marketplace, Artisans.coop. artisans.coop/pages/seller... #BlueskyNightMarket #NPS

For my first BlueskyNightMarket post, here's a dark and a light shot of some chaotic Martian terrain carved into a resin-filled piece of maple. Other terrain carvings, on and off-planet, are available from my shop on the awesome artisans.coop. artisans.coop/products/mar... #BlueskyNightMarket

This carving features interior detail from Holden Crater, Mars in oak and resin. A friend (the proud owner) is a huge fan of the TV show The Expanse. This burly piece of oak contained voids filled with resin prior to carving. #sciart #planetsci

Here is Kaiser Crater, Mars carved into wenge, an African hardwood known for its sound properties and its contrasting colors, which are highlighted here by bleaching. This carving and others are available through a cooperative Etsy alternative. artisans.coop/pages/seller... #planetsci #sciart

How it started vs how it's going

The video of this tiny carving shows the entire process starting with a larger rough carving bit and finishing with a much more precise fine carving bit. The resin and wood blank now shows the bathymetry of Lake Superior. This 90-minute process is shown here in 12 seconds.

These undocumented Canadian immigrants won't be paying any tariffs and they are welcome to nest at my pond in Kentucky as long as they'd like.

Friendly reminder that there are no politicians on the Moon. #planetsci #sciart

Pocket Planets 🪐 Hand painted clay pieces mounted in shadow boxes. A couple more tests & I’ll be ready to paint the frames! They’re going to be awesome. Available February 21st.

👇 Transport strikes. Teacher’s strikes. Grocery employee strikes. Every single union strikes. We can do much. #GeneralStrike

So naturally, you know what to do…👇 Enjoy. 😎✨

It's not terrain, but it's still pretty cool. It's carved from an especially burly piece of salted oak.

The carving process revealed this image in the interior of a hunk of wood. It is revealed only briefly before it, too, is carved away, representing a fleeting and ethereal beauty.

Blue Mars! Gale Crater in maple, resin, and walnut. #spaceart #planetaryscience #kimstanleyrobinson

My mother always said she prefers gifts that are made over gifts that are purchased.

Those New Horizon scientists generated a 3D model of the surface of Pluto from the 2015 flyby, covering much of the planet. And here it is, lightly carved into a maple knot and mounted on a spacy-looking resin base. Keep the 3D models of the solar system coming, please! #planetaryscience

Buddha Temple, Grand Canyon. Finding suitable gnarly pieces of wood to carve is difficult. This one was put to good use.

I seek out wood with voids which I fill with resin prior to carving. This is the rear of a maple carving, and the result is not at all intentional.

Aeolis Dorsa, Mars, where the ancient riverbeds sit atop the plateaus, and an occasional crater reminds you that you're not in Kansas anymore. #planetaryscience #thecollisionofscienceandart More at woodgrainterrain.com

Bright Angel Canyon intersects the Colorado River at Phantom Ranch in the heart of the Grand Canyon. This piece of spalted oak features a bark inclusion that runs entirely through the board, which was aligned with Bright Angel Canyon to create this carving. #Artshare More at woodgrainterrain.com

These miniature carvings bring me joy! From top center: Gale Crater, Lake Superior bathymetry, Grand Canyon South Rim, Holden Crater, Palikir Crater, and a random Martian crater in the center. Made from resin with some small bits of wood thrown in. #artAdventCalendar woodgrainterrain.com

Carvings of terrain aren't the only thing that comes out of my workshop. She said yes a while back and its only gotten better since then.

On Mars, the intriguing recurring slope lineae in Palikir Crater have yet to be fully explained. But we don't need a comprehensive scientific understanding to know that it looks cool. Maple and oak, finished in shellac. #planetaryscience More at: woodgrainterrain.com

Dunes cover the Martian landscape, but not in the lee of this random crater. This knotty piece of maple had a void that was filled with resin prior to carving. Extra thanks to #uarizonalpl for the 3D models! #planetaryscience More at: woodgrainterrain.com

Chattanooga, Tennessee and surrounding terrain, including Prentice Cooper State Forest and Lookout Mountain, carved into wenge, an African hardwood. A blue ribbon of resin represents the Tennessee River. More like this at woodgrainterrian.com.

Here's Gale Crater, Mars in a highly figured piece of maple. A natural void was filled with resin, and the crater's rim aligned with the curvature of the bark inclusion. There is only one of these in the universe. More at artisans.coop/pages/seller... woodgrainterrain.com @bot.astronomy.blue signup

Aeolis Dorsa, Mars, is a place where aerographic evolution is turned on its head. Still on the machine, without a frame and unfnished, this wild piece of spalted maple is a suitable medium to present the tortured terrain.

What time is it on the Moon? woodgrainterrain.com

A closer look at the Jezero Crater carving. We all know what a crater is, but few of us expect a river delta to appear inside one. As usual, no paints, stains, or dyes are used, allowing the natural worlds to speak for themselves. More at woodgrainterrain.com.

This is a very small-scale carving of the Grand Canyon. It is carved into a knot on a piece of poplar and then mounted using copper pipe onto a block containing a second knot. Most woodworkers avoid these parts of the tree. I seek them out. They are more beautiful.

"Spin Cycle," Kasei Valles, Mars This figured and resin-filled piece of cherry was inevitably meant to depict this fascinating outburst channel in Kasei Valles. The carved thermal poplar frames contain detail from the larger carving.

Here's Fontana Lake, which forms the southern border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It's carved in Maple with a resin lake and a poplar frame.

Earth's Moon carved into maple and framed with walnut. This just sold on artisans.coop, a member-owned Etsy alternative with verified handmade products like this.

Here is a carving of the 145 km wide Gale Crater from Mars. It's made from a striking hunk of eastern red cedar, and no stains or dyes were used. This is its natural appearance. The ash rails feature lightly carved details from the crater's water-carved interior. More at woodgrainterrain.com. 🚀