Don Maul Fine Art

Home
United States
Fort Collins, CO
Don Maul Fine Art

Wood Sculpture/Natural Edge Woodworking I invite you to explore these creations and hope that you are inspired by them.

An 8th grade shop class at Timnath Junior High School in Timnath, CO sparked a life-long interest in woodworking as a hobby. I have done a variety of woodworking including antique restoration, cabinet making, wood carving and most recently woodturning. A friend, invited me to attend the Rocky Mountain Woodturners monthly meetings a few years ago and that experience has opened a wide array of turni

ng styles and creative paths to develop on my own. My profession as a veterinarian has allowed me to travel, especially in the Southwest U.S., and I have developed a keen interest in Native American culture, art and archeology. I have chosen to incorporate this artistic and cultural style into my woodturning using carvings, pyrography, water color dyes and acrylic airbrush painting. Another aspect of my artistic woodworking has been influenced by George Nakashima who was a master of capturing the natural shape and beauty of the live tree while preserving and transforming it into an heirloom piece of natural-edge furniture. I have also ventured into this form of wood art by creating natural edge tables with the butterfly inserts characteristic of Nakashima furniture. Recently I incorporated butterfly inserts in my wood turnings to stabilize major natural defects in the wood.

04/07/2026

Cliff Dwellings with Petroglyphs was carved from Walnut wood and measures 16” x 13.5” x 2.5”. The piece is at Santa Fe Trails Fine Art gallery in Santa Fe, NM.

02/08/2026

“Anasazi Totem 2” was carved from a piece of walnut. The first totem I carved sold so quickly I decided to carve another similar piece. I wanted to capture the rocks of the cliffs, the cliff dwellings, Anasazi pottery patterns and at the top, petroglyph images. Sandstone was cut and shaped and inlaid to add realistic texture to the sculpture. Anasazi Totem 2 is at the Santa Fe Trails Fine Art gallery in Santa Fe, NM.

02/02/2026

"Eagle Dance" was carved from a natural-edged piece of Olive wood and is enhanced by a bronze sculpture of an Eagle Dancer. The pose of the Golden Eagle symbolizes the eagle spirit looking down on the ceremonial dancer.

The Eagle Dance is a symbolic Native American ceremony in which dancers often wear artificial wings or regalia that emulate eagle feathers and movements accompanied by songs, drumming, and choreographed motions that imitate the eagle’s flight, hunting, and behavior. The ceremony honors the eagle, revered for its wisdom, strength and spiritual power, as a messenger between the earthly and spiritual worlds and is performed by many tribes to seek blessings such as rain, healing, peace, or spiritual guidance.

This wood and bronze sculpture is at Santa Fe Trails Fine Art Gallery in Santa Fe, NM and I hope you will visit this gallery.

12/15/2025

“Anasazi Totem” was carved from a thin piece of walnut. I wanted to capture the rocks of the cliffs, the cliff dwellings, Anasazi pottery patterns and at the top, petroglyph images. A spiral staircase was carved from the bottom to the top of the piece as I imagined shamans ascending to carve the petroglyph images! This piece was taken to Santa Fe Trails Fine Art gallery the afternoon of 12/5 for their Small Wonders Christmas show, and I was very pleased that it sold that evening at the show. Happy Holidays to all!!

10/23/2025

The evolution of “Buffalo Dancer”

10/22/2025

"Buffalo Dancer” carved from wood is a relatively abstract representation of a Buffalo dancer, taking advantage of the shape and grain of the wood to capture movement of the dancer. The base wood is Olive from which I carved the shirt, sash, feathers, and created the acrylic-painted bead strip simulation over the shoulders and down the arms. The simulation of the hair of the headdress was created from the rough surface of an Australian Mallee burl and the horns were carved from Big Leaf Maple. Trade beads, tin cones, brass beads, ribbons, hair and dew claws were added.

The buffalo, or American Bison, was the central element of life for the Plains people, providing food, shelter, and materials. Its horns were a potent symbol of its magnificent strength, courage, and endurance. Wearing horns in a headdress transferred this power and resilience to the wearer, and was reserved for esteemed leaders, chiefs, and warriors of the highest order. The headdress was considered sacred regalia and was worn during religious and ceremonial gatherings, dances, and formal occasions, rather than in active combat. The Buffalo Dance was a communal prayer to the buffalo and connected the individual to the spiritual power of the animal, a sustainer of life.

This piece is at Santa Fe Trails Fine Art Gallery in Santa Fe, NM and I invite you to stop by the gallery on your next visit.

08/06/2025

“Kéya’s Journey” was carved from Olive wood that had many natural voids filled with poured epoxy resin, dyes and other objects to create the shaman images, a bear claw and at the bottom of the piece a small turtle (Kéya) figure. The circle shape of the piece represents the sacred circle in Sioux lore (earth shape, teepee shape, circle of life, etc.) The shape also could represent a shield, and the feathers carved from the wood are frequently seen on the shield, as are deer antlers and dew claws which have been added to this piece. The turtle image on this wood art is small, which holds with the tradition that the turtle is a small animal but very strong and powerful. The wild grain pattern of the wood lends movement to the piece and they work well with the shaman figures to represent power lines seen in petroglyph figures.

In the Sioux language the word for turtle is Kéya. Kéya, stands out as a figure of immense spiritual significance among the numerous sacred beings and symbols within the Sioux tradition. Kéya is a revered spirit animal intrinsically linked to core aspects of existence, including Mother Earth and the very act of creation. In some interpretations, the turtle's shell is seen as the foundation upon which the world rests, carrying the weight of creation. The spirit of Kéya represents the enduring qualities such as being the guardian of life, health, safety, wisdom, longevity, resilience and fortitude.

One of the most intimate and lifelong applications of Kéya symbolism is found in the tradition of umbilical cord pouches. For baby girls, a piece of the umbilical cord is placed into a beautifully beaded leather pouch shaped like a turtle. This practice is deeply symbolic: it is believed that when the physical connection with the mother is severed these pouches are intended to confer the turtle's qualities of safety, protection, and a long, resilient life upon the child. They are kept by individuals throughout their lives and are traditionally buried with them upon their passing.

Turtle shells are widely utilized as rattles across various Native American ceremonies. The sound and rhythm generated are not just aesthetic but are a form of spiritual language, a way to communicate with and draw power from the spirit world.

I hope you enjoy “Kéya’s Journey” which will be at Santa Fe Trails Fine Art Gallery in Santa Fe, NM this week and in time for the Indian Market in mid-August.

06/27/2025

“Earth Spirit” was carved from a single piece of Big Leaf Maple burl using the natural edge as the border for the feathers of the head dress. Rather than carving a face I chose to keep the natural voids and grain patterns of the Burl and add images of an eagle, teepee, horse tracks, a bear and a petroglyph shaman figure. I then carved the surrounding wood to simulate the stone of the earth. They all come together as Earth Spirits. This wood sculpture will be at Santa Fe Trails Fine Art Gallery in Santa Fe, NM in early July.

05/08/2025

Canyon I is a new exploration in wood art for me. I started with natural edge Big Leaf Maple burl and shaped and carved that into overlapping segments. In the void between segments I poured epoxy over stones with pigment added to resemble a flowing river. To create drama I added LED light strips between the upper and lower levels of the wood which shed light on the carved contours and highlight the natural edges and voids of the burl. The piece is presented on an iron easel stand and is on display and for sale at Santa Fe Trails Fine Art Gallery in Santa Fe,NM. Enjoy and please visit the gallery!!

01/10/2025

“Origins” evolved from a wild piece of Olive wood. I was uncertain what the final piece of wood art would look like when I started. I first added texture and burned the textured area with a torch and then added acrylic paint to the long and curving natural void at what is now the top of the piece. Then I inlaid turquoise in many of the natural cracks in the wood and stepping back to look at the progress it was clear that all of these additions appeared to be coming out of the center of the piece. The two shaman figures were added next using natural voids that shaped the heads of these spirit figures. Finally, I emerged out of the spirit world to add two more defined images with a horse and a feather carved from wood, painted and applied to the Olive wood slab. All of this movement from the center of a very chaotic Supernova-like shape of the wood, implied a moment of creation, thus the name “Origins” seemed appropriate for this new piece of wood art. It will be in the Santa Fe Trails Fine Art gallery starting this weekend.

Address

Fort Collins, CO

Website

http://www.bighornwoodart.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Don Maul Fine Art posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Establishment

Send a message to Don Maul Fine Art:

Shortcuts

Want your establishment to be the top-listed Arts & Entertainment in Fort Collins?