Navigation Bar |
| |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I am a qualified Fine Artist. I completed my National Higher Diploma: Fine Art, at the end of 1992, majoring in Sculpture, at Technikon Natal. I had numerous exhibitions as a student, but once qualified, earning a living became somewhat of a challenge as a Fine Artist. After several years of doing various commissions involving wrought iron furniture, gates, balustrades, shop signage, etc., I finally found my niche in scrimshaw. I must say, it is quite the opposite to what I was used to doing. I used to construct massive sculptures in metal and various mixed media.
It was 1995 when attending a Durban Easter Knife Show with my dad (a knifemaker), that I was introduced to Toi Skellern. (Let me just say that my dad had been nagging me for the past year to try my hand at scrimshaw. Coming from the "elitist" Fine Art background I was used to, I was rather scathing to begin with, seeing "scrimshaw" as a "craft" that I would not bring myself to do!). Meeting Toi and being introduced to the "art-form" made me humble my outlook. Toi, (a scrimshander from Munster on the KZN South Coast and full-time architect) and I got to chatting about the origins of scrimshaw and how and when she got started. I then realized that scrimshaw was not a craft, but a highly skilled form of art, originating with the ancient Whalers and Eskimos. It is a skill which involves dedication and above all, patience (the latter being the first and foremost requirement Toi had stressed upon). Seeing her work and her enthusiasm for the art form and her willingness to share methods and techniques with me was what got my attention. After that I decided to give it a bash. After having done a few practice pieces on ivory off-cuts, I set off to Munster to show Toi my work. I thought it was O.K. for a beginner. We placed the work under Toi's microscope and..... devastation! My stipples looked like craters! I had not realized that one is supposed to NOT add any pressure when stippling. The softer the stipples, the finer and more detailed the finished work will be. Toi however, was not going to give up on me. She encouraged me to go back and try again, saying I had the ability, all I had to do was change my stipple pressure. I however was too depressed and vowed I would never try it again! Two months went by without me touching another needle! Then my dad, who would also not give up, sent me a knife and insisted I scrim it for him. So I thought 'why not, it's now or never!' Without having done another practice piece, I went straight onto the knife. My dad was happy with the result. I knew I still had a way to go, but practice and experience will take one a long way. The following Easter Show my dad exhibited the knife and Toi was impressed. After that I did more work for my dad and a couple of other knifemakers.
In 1997 my dad entered some of my work for submission for Associate membership of the Southern African Knifemakers Guild. I was accepted and since then have never looked back. I am now a full-time scrimshander and work from home.
I practice two techniques. Stippling and cutting. I do however prefer the stippling method and this is what I mainly do. The stippling method is very fine and detailed allowing far more tonal range than the cutting method. I would say that my favourite subject matter would be portraits and figure studies, including close-up portraits of animals. I tend to become obsessive with fine detail, particularly when doing eyes. I work in both black and colour scrimshaw. Materials include elephant ivory (for local use only) warthog tusk, hippo tooth, whale's tooth (also local), buffalo horn (this would be a reverse scrim, i.e. white on black), mammoth, mastodon and walrus. The majority of my work is commission based - knifemakers, but mainly knife collectors. I do however also do free-standing art pieces, framed pieces, etc., and pendants, earrings, brooches and bolo ties.
There is no limit concerning subject matter. I work from photographs given to me by the client, or I look for pictures if it is a request for a certain image. Often I need to create a whole scene myself when the client is looking for something very specific. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
