Gene Carlson – Artist Spotlight

When I grew up in a rural Tacoma area my parents told us kids, [there we’re six of us], that we could have anything we wanted, as long as we earned it ourselves. They had money only for necessities. So I did odd jobs for cash, and learned to build what I wanted, starting with model cars, then camps and tree houses, then go-karts, mini-bikes, motorcycles, and boats. Ultimately I created a career building custom homes.
During my school years art class and wood shop were my favorite subjects. In middle school I received some awards and recognition for some paintings. From that time on I wanted to be an artist for my vocation. However, after high school I couldn’t see a pathway for my artwork to earn me the kind of living that my building skills could. So artwork has become my lifelong hobby, and workday stress relief.
I did mostly ceramic work in my middle years, took some classes, and was fortunate to have a couple very good teachers. I interspersed the ceramics with some wood carving, but always felt constrained by the wood grain. Ceramics are tender and have to be carefully timed and tended. Then there’s the firing and glazing to consider, so many things that can go wrong!
So I was drawn to stone in the late nineties, when I took the first class offered by the very talented Dorbe Holden. What a great introduction to stone work. There I met my friends Dan Michael and Larry Eickstaedt, and we all found our way to Camp Brotherhood, and the NWSSA.
It’s hard for me to express how much our organization has meant to me. I’ve learned so much in twenty plus years, from design and composition by Dr. Hon Le and Uchida Kazutaka, to practical tools and tips by George Pratt. I also learned design and fountain construction from Rich Hestekind, which I used a lot in my home building business, incorporating fountains in my landscaping. Arliss Newcomb taught me pinning/sleeving, Joanne Duby helped us all learn the importance and design of basing. There have been so many great teachers and now good friends.

Those teachers have taught me most about texturing, contrasting, and juxtaposing one surface to the other. I like smooth against rough, shiny against flat or bushed, and I like to leave a bit of the natural stone showing.
I applied all the lessons I learned to my home building business. I especially enjoy interior design and had lots of fun blending varieties of different materials. Garden design and construction also gave me a lot of joy and enabled me to combine my art with my professional career. Like most of us I started out with larger stone pieces and projects, but these days I do smaller work that can easily fit a bookshelf or end table.
My mentors Leon, M.J., Tamara, Ruth, and many others have helped me learn what to leave in and what to leave out. I don’t sell much anymore, and never have, but I love trading for other’s artworks, so I have a wonderful collection of original art of many types.
Hopefully we can all get back to our regular group” carvathons” this year and share some more of our knowledge, skills, and love of stone.