You just don’t see a lot of folk art these days, the type of work that’s make-do, from regional raw materials and native good sense.
Not being so very good at wittlin’, at least my tools are always nearby (a disorganized jumble) along with a wealth of timber scattered about the farm.
A quiz:
What was the first tool used in the making of this piece?
What was the second tool used in the making of this piece?
What was the third tool used in the making of this piece?
If you get two out of three in their proper order, we’ll send you this whimsical puppet for free. Sculpted from sassafras, walnut and cherry in the old ways - and not an easy thing to make. Real folk art by real people.
And don’t worry, they’re not trick questions since these three tools and their order of use never deviates.
Certainly not alone in my passion for folk art.
Or puppets.
Giving up on the artificial images for now as well as the snarky topics. Seems my pathos tend toward the myopic from time to time. Think we’ll go back to some good ole’ story tellin’ for a bit - see how that feels. Pull some from the trove of memories.
Hilbillys, shanty towns, shade tree mechanics, gunfire, drugs, alcohol and tobacco, midnight raids on the melon patch, Halloween romance, runnin’ on four and walkin’ on two, moonlit bicycle rides, brawls and such - the things America was made of in my youth. And much more - like dogs, dogs, dogs!
And eternal friendships.
Tired now, so that’s a wrap.
Chainsaw, imagination and a sharp carving knife.
Well, leave to an arborist to get the first tool right. Anyone working with wood knows it comes from trees, and if wood is going to be worked a tree has to come down to the ground; be it a saw or an axe or a stone the result is the same regardless of the tool used. Good luck with the next tool.