Mastodon Ivory..the ultimate

Long ago and far away some nice folks brought me some mastadon ivory to do some work on for them. Seeing as how I had no "due date" it kept fallin behind all the stuff that did have a due date. But finally many moons later I have a few pieces to show for all that time. Looking at the picture Taryn took of the first one I did way back then, and seeing how thick the dust and dirt are on it.... you can tell it's been sitting in my shop a while.  Well here are some pics.
This first one is a technique I've only used a couple of times, a combination of scrimshaw....and carved down to give it depth.

Here's a nice Tree of Life.

This is the first one I tried...notice the dust. I left the "bark" of the tusk in it's natural state surrounding the carving so folks could see what the outside looked like in it's natural state..

This next one is a self portrait I did of myself in a previous life ....
........just kidding.
This was something new I tried. Heavy deep cuts and dots....

Mastodon sure takes a shine. Hard as rock and very dry and flaky....but awesome..