Deer Kachina by Loren Phillips

Fantastic Deer Kachina by world reknowned Hopi carver Loren Phillips. 
 
Loren Phillips is a top prize-winning Hopi Carver. His one-piece dolls are considered among the finest carvings in the history of Hopi art. Loren’s sculptural style often is compared with Michelangelo. Like the Italian Renaissance master, Loren carefully observed natural forms.
 
Loren was born in Moencopi, Arizona in 1942. Loren consistently wins "Best of Show" awards, especially at the annual Hopi Artists exhibition at the Museum of Northern Arizona. Because Loren participates in the ceremonial dances, he knows every symbolic detail that is significant to each Kachina doll he carves.
 
Loren's tools for carving are predominately pocket and hunting knives, from which he carves the finer details of patterns, textures and decorative lines. He is very particular about the sanding and finishing of his dolls, especially the last steps of staining and painting. Loren has developed his own method of applying stains to give the surface a beautiful luster, through which the grain of the wood is still visible. 
 
Loren Phillips is featured in every book about Hopi carvers, including "The Art of the Hopi" by Jerry & Lois Jacka, "Kachina Dolls" by Helga Tiewes, "Kachina Doll Carving" by Erik Bromberg and "Hopi Kachina Dolls and their Carvers" by Theda Bassman.