Hand-carved, half-dimensional, wall-hung whales that celebrate the beauty and grace of these remarkable creatures. These robust, deep-relief carvings will enrich your space with a bold, captivating presence, fine craftsmanship, and aged finishes. Feel free to inquire about a custom whale carving to fit your space perfectly, whether above French doors, over the fireplace mantel, or as a visual centerpiece in your favorite entertaining space. I will work with you to help settle on an appropriate size, left or right facing, tail up or down, active or classic profile, color, etc. Please email for pricing information.
Credit unknown
Multiple sketches are drawn before one is selected for carving.
As a native New Englander, whaling folklore leaves me spellbound.
Sperm whales sleep together, vertically, in pods. Credit unknown
inspiration found
The legendary and long-misunderstood sperm whale is deeply woven into New England’s history. These whales bewitch imaginations as much today as they did in the 1800s when the whaling industry had its hypnotic grip on brave souls lured to the farthest reaches of our seas. The hunt continued for 200 years while this whale’s prized oil illuminated the world’s cities and lubricated the machinery of the industrial age. Pennsylvania crude oil was discovered in 1859, and its byproduct, kerosene, brought an end to the whaling industry and its well established way of life in the blink of an eye. Ever since, art, literature, and film have portrayed harpooned whales thrashing and crushing whale boats and helpless men, transporting us back to this fateful era with the grisly tale of the whaleship Essex and Melville’s epic Moby Dick.
living in harmony
Today, the sperm whale and all whale species are being studied like never before, though their fight for survival continues. Due to warming seas, feeding and breeding grounds that whales have traditionally used for millennia may disappear. Fatalities from ship strikes, plastic ingestion, fishing nets, and illegal hunting are the main causes of population decline. Technologies meant to protect whales from human harm hope to increase healthy whale populations across the planet in those farthest reaches of our seas, where they were ruthlessly hunted for profit centuries ago.
Read more at Sperm Whales Dominica
Available Carvings
Custom orders are welcome. I will work with you to settle on an appropriate size, left or right facing, tail up or down, active or classic profile, finish, etc.
AVAILABLE – four feet long, 48” x 13.5” × 3.5”, sperm whale, antiqued black, tail down, Douglas Fir
AVAILABLE – Designed and made for a museum exhibit featuring historic tavern and trade signs. Six-foot-long and crafted to resemble a mid-1800s sign that could have hung in a New Bedford or Nantucket general store. Original design.
AVAILABLE – four feet long, 48" x 14 x 3.5" sperm whale, antiqued white, tail down, Douglas Fir
AVAILABLE – Simply carved, folk-art sperm whale with painted-on teeth. Harpswell, Maine, Est. 1758, 48”x 11” x 1.5”. Pine. Where’s your favorite getaway?
Gallery of Previous Work
Seven-foot sperm whale, 84” x 20” x 4”, carved from a single slab of Eastern white pine, honey colored stain and lacquer.
Three feet long, 36” x 10” x 1.5”, sperm whale antiqued black, tail up, Douglas Fir
Sperm whale, antiqued black, 60” x 14” × 3.5”, Douglas Fir
Black baby sperm whale, 32”x 9” x 3.5”, made to pair with his 60” mother, as shown below.
Custom orders – Black sperm whale historical house marker. 76” x 20”, Fir. Click here to see installed on house
Four feet long, 48” x 13.5” × 3.5”, sperm whale, antiqued black, tail up, Douglas Fir
Antiqued gold patina sperm whale, 5 feet long (60”x19”x3.5”), Alaskan yellow cedar (for exterior use)
Weathered black sperm whale, 6 feet long (72”x 20” x 3.5”), Douglas Fir
Folk art black sperm whale, mouth open wide with a full two rows of teeth. 36”x15”, Fir.
60” x 18” Fictional weather-beaten whale sign, perfect for that room with the view of the Atlantic. Pine.
Gloucester, 1623. 40” long. Spruce.
37” x 27” white sperm whale, Fir.
Sperm whale, 43” x 10”, Douglas Fir
Sperm Whale, Harpswell, Maine, Est. 1758, 60” long, Pine
Antiqued black sperm whale, 24”x 9”, reclaimed pine. Small enough to fit above a doorway.
21-toothed, antique weathered gold sperm whale, 58” long, 3.25” thick. Fir.
Exotic hardwood sperm whale, 24”
Antiqued black sperm whale, dark gray, 60” x 16”, Pine.
Fictional salvaged sperm whale sign, 48” x 13”, Pine
Antiqued black sperm whale. Pine, 40” x 10”
Rustic Sperm whale, 5’ long, 3.5” thick. Pine.
Monstro, 5’ long, old-growth cedar sperm whale
Weathered gold sperm whale, 42” long. 1.5” thick. Pine
Folk art sperm whale, pine, 5’ long, 3.5” thick.
Hardwood sperm whale, 44”
Weathered gold Sperm whale, pine, 44”
30”x8”, perfect for above a doorway, in an entryway, anywhere. Reclaimed cedar.
Black sperm whale, 48” x 15” x 3.5”, Pine