Welcome to Uncle John’s Barn
I thought I’d start this blog by simply opening the studio door and letting you in. What you’ll see here are glimpses of the work as it takes shape—rough cuts, half-finished carvings, and the small details that eventually find their way into something larger. Woodcarving was fading from view long before the world was taken over by tech screens and the craving for instant gratification. For me it has always been a way of life—slow, soulful, and honest— connecting me to something ancient and steady. It’s been a dream of mine to bring the lost art back into the light. And with this subject matter I sense I may have found a way to move that dream forward. After forty plus years at the workbench, it’s propelling me to new levels of enthusiasm—a homestretch filled with wonderful memories. The echoes of the psychedelic ’60s and ’70s, the colors and music of the Grateful Dead, set the rhythm while the chisels do the work. So pull up a stool, stay awhile, and watch it unfold.
Muscaria Man
This artwork is the center detail in one of Randy Tuten’s iconic concert posters created for one of the closing Dead shows at Winterland in 1978. Tuten is perhaps one of the more famous artisans of the era. In 1969 he was hired by Bill Graham as the first in-house poster artist for his Fillmore and Winterland venues and created many posters into the early 2000s for such groups as: Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Country Joe & the Fish, The Byrds to name a few. His work has been exhibited in museums, is very collectible, and apparently is still at it. Due to my age, time of life, it would come as no surprise that hallucinogenics played a role in my desire for an alternative lifestyle. I titled this Muscaria Man because I still love mushrooms. I digress…..
Muscaria Man is in the cue waiting for paint. I use a rather unique approach to painting wood to be sure that the colors reside in the wood versus on the wood. If done right the chisel cuts and wood grain remain a significant visible feature and accentuate the colors.
Check back in, in a few weeks to see it in process.