Frequently Asked Questions...
where do you get your ideas?
Much of my inspiration comes from the unique nature features of each piece of antler or wood I carve. I have several decades of researching and writing about myths, legends, magical worlds and symbols to draw ideas from. Most of my life I have studied and collected traditional and tribal art from northern and eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific Islands.
do you have to hurt animals to get your antlers? what are 'shed' antlers?
Deer, moose and elk shed their antlers every winter and grow new ones in the spring. I use these cast off antlers, found in Ontario forests, for my art. No animals are hurt in the collecting of this natural renewable resource. I do not hunt. I am a vegetarian and I try to be an ecologist, striving to live a life of causing as little harm as possible to all living things.
how long does it take to make a carving?
This question is impossible to answer. When I work, I lose track of time. Pieces evolve at their own pace, over days or weeks. I often switch from piece to piece as inspiration strikes me.
is it difficult to carve antler?
Not for me. Antler is softer and easier to carve than most stone, but is stronger and holds more detail than wood. Beginning carvers might want to start with a softer wood such as basswood. If you have a little skill with hand tools, you can work antler with files and engraving tools or try a rotary tool such as a Dremel. Steel carving burrs work better on antler than ruby or diamond bits.
can you make me a carving just like the one my friend bought from you?
Each of my carvings is hand made, not mass produced. I may use the same basic design idea again, but the details of my carving, the colour, grain and shape of the material, all of these small differences make the finished sculpture one of a kind. Sometimes the natural shape of the antler piece I start with is so unusual that creating anything like it again would be impossible. If you would like something of a similar design to a carving of mine you have seen, but unique, please inquire.
do you do custom work?
Generally, I avoid taking commissions. As an intuitive artist, my special talent lies in working with the natural features of my material, to let images and forms I see within, emerge in a natural way. Custom work can take me so long to finish that it is unfair to submit clients to this wait and uncertainty. I will, however, take your name and a detailed note of what you are looking for, then when I do manage to come up with something that I think you will like, I'll contact you with a photo of the finished piece.
is your antler carving a traditional art?
There is a long tradition of carving antler into jewelry and functional objects in many folk cultures, particularly among the Norse, Anglo-Saxons, Aboriginal North Americans, the Japanese and in India. Here in Canada many people associate antler carving with Aboriginal Natives, but my style and inspiration is more closely connected to the art of the old Norse and Saxons. I share the same spiritual world view as traditional Aboriginals, however, and my artistic depiction of animals is shamanistic in nature.
Perhaps what I am doing is not new, but the way I do it is very personal, very much my own. Contemporary.
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