Woodcarving: goose

This goose, carved in apple wood, was made by Hayden Hensley (1911-2001). A native of Cherokee County, Hensley's name was sometimes spelled Haden. He was a student at the John C. Campbell Folk School in its earliest years, attending the first winter session in 1927-1928 where he met Bonnie H. Logan. After they married in the early 1930s, the Hensleys carved steadily for the next decade selling their work through the Folk School's woodcarving cooperative that became known as the Brasstown Carvers. The Hensleys claimed to have bought a house with funds earned carving. Hensley was known for carving geese, a difficult form because the animal's long neck presents a weakness in construction that calls for a steady hand