What was commonplace two generations ago (the art of making what was needed rather than buying it) is quickly fading under a flood of cheap — and cheaply manufactured — imports.
However, wherever there are people who care about quality and maintain a careful link to their past as well as the land, you will find master craftsmen.
Dave Egesdal notes, “These are called fairy houses or gnome homes. They are actually cottonwood bark carvings. The bark has to come from fallen trees (you can’t really tear it off a live tree). The carving was made from a large cottonwood tree alongside the Des Moines River.
“The tree had been struck by lightning years before I harvested the bark. It is special to me as that tree was down by the trailer court where I grew up. Everything there was surrounded by corn fields there in southern Iowa near Ottumwa.
The Blacksmith. BY JOSHUA HESTON Unique. There is something unique about our perception of blacksmithing. As Buddy Ebsen noted (below), the blacksmith was “one of the most essential of all the pioneer craftsmen.” Perhaps that is why it figures so predominately in American culture of the 19th century. And while the art was ubiquitous in…
German Culture in the Ozarks by Joshua Heston The year was 1830. Across Germany, folks of all walks of life were reading the work of writer Gottfried Duden. His book Bericht über eiene Reise nach den westlichen Staaten Nordamerika’s made an enormous impact in Continental Europe — and consequently the United States — and for…
Plate 1. Ozark knives against rabbit skins and oak leaves. State of the Ozarks Photo Archive. Knife Making by Joshua Heston Plate 2. Jehu Knife Detail, May 30, 2014. Like fire and ice, the beauty of a hand-crafted knife captivates the imagination. An age-old art, knife making hearkens of generations past. Knives are essential tools,…
Plate 1. The Departure of the Joads This egg tempera and oil painting was created by Missouri artist Thomas Hart Benton in 1940. The art was commissioned by 20th Century Fox to advertise their film production of John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath. The rugged depiction of form is typical of Benton’s unique regional…
The George Kieffer Murals of the Fox Theatre by Joshua Heston In the old Fox Theatre — the Abundant Life Covenant Church since 1985 — on the Springfield Square, a series of murals celebrating the history of Springfield, Missouri, are displayed. The murals are the work of George Kieffer and each demonstrate his craftsmanship, his…
Joe Benjamin by Joshua Heston Pen and ink artist, Joe Benjamin, is not only extraordinarily talented, but also one of the nicest of folks you’ll ever hope to meet. Five of Joe Benjamin’s 17 Silver Dollar City craftsmanship awards. Photo credit: J. Heston He and his wife, Janice, moved to Branson from the Quincy, Illinois,…
