The Starving Artist
Never has it been truer than in today's economy.
The artist and the work they produce are in a very fine line of extinction.
There are many artists, that no matter the quality of the work that they produce, breaking into the market is nearly impossible.
If you weren't known before this recession the chances of breaking in today are very slim and difficult.
Even those that have made their mark in the past are to now feeling the pinch and as an artist, frankly it worries me.
As a carver for about 33 years now and having seen some good times and bad.
There has always been a market for good wood carvings, But lately that market out there has shrunk to an unbelievable size.
I do not blame those that were once collectors, for art is one of the first things to be left out to make room for necessary things in life.
Not only has the market gone, But materials once used are also becoming extinct.
For unknown reasons the butternut tree that once grew plentiful in our region of Southern Ontario, the butternut trees seemed to have vanished over a 10 year span.
And now the once mighty Oak is now close on its heels.
Over the past 33 years the butternut logs were a living to be carved out.
As a native person from the Chippewa of Nawash First Nation I have used the butternut for totem poles, for true to life, sized carvings and many other smaller sculptures as a wood of choice.
The natives have talked about the end being near when the trees die from the top down.
One only needs to look into your back yard and see the evidence.
Just this past fall, I have had to cut a pine log to use as a totem pole as there is no butternut to be found in the area.
Why? No one really seems to know! They say that for survival you must be flexible and change with the times.
I have tried to do this and even accept what is, and must say is a very hard pill to swallow.
Over the past couple of years stone has become a medium for carving.
It is good to use, but even with the best equipment, it is hard to cut and has an over whelming amount of dust.
Knowing that over time this dust has the potential to kill me, it has how ever opened new doors for me, such as the coral carvings displayed by the Grey Roots Museum in Owen Sound Ontario.
The internet is now a means of promoting to a larger audience.
I have had to learn how to set up my own website, learn all the latest techniques to create website traffic and having you read this is proof of that.
The artist and the work they produce are in a very fine line of extinction.
There are many artists, that no matter the quality of the work that they produce, breaking into the market is nearly impossible.
If you weren't known before this recession the chances of breaking in today are very slim and difficult.
Even those that have made their mark in the past are to now feeling the pinch and as an artist, frankly it worries me.
As a carver for about 33 years now and having seen some good times and bad.
There has always been a market for good wood carvings, But lately that market out there has shrunk to an unbelievable size.
I do not blame those that were once collectors, for art is one of the first things to be left out to make room for necessary things in life.
Not only has the market gone, But materials once used are also becoming extinct.
For unknown reasons the butternut tree that once grew plentiful in our region of Southern Ontario, the butternut trees seemed to have vanished over a 10 year span.
And now the once mighty Oak is now close on its heels.
Over the past 33 years the butternut logs were a living to be carved out.
As a native person from the Chippewa of Nawash First Nation I have used the butternut for totem poles, for true to life, sized carvings and many other smaller sculptures as a wood of choice.
The natives have talked about the end being near when the trees die from the top down.
One only needs to look into your back yard and see the evidence.
Just this past fall, I have had to cut a pine log to use as a totem pole as there is no butternut to be found in the area.
Why? No one really seems to know! They say that for survival you must be flexible and change with the times.
I have tried to do this and even accept what is, and must say is a very hard pill to swallow.
Over the past couple of years stone has become a medium for carving.
It is good to use, but even with the best equipment, it is hard to cut and has an over whelming amount of dust.
Knowing that over time this dust has the potential to kill me, it has how ever opened new doors for me, such as the coral carvings displayed by the Grey Roots Museum in Owen Sound Ontario.
The internet is now a means of promoting to a larger audience.
I have had to learn how to set up my own website, learn all the latest techniques to create website traffic and having you read this is proof of that.
