Artist Development Services -
ACCOMPLISHED MASTERS TRAIN SELECTED APPRENTICES
By Tahoe Sculptor, Matthew Welter
(As published in Chip Chats magazine--July, 1999)

 
           “Were you going to eat my cabinet?”  My father’s question was stern, but my response was disarming--while at the same time alarming. “Not all of it," I stammered, eyeing the spoon I had used to gouge a respectable-sized hunk of pine out of the cabinet he had built for mom.  She was appalled, but it seemed to me (even at three years old) that wood was there to be carved.  It may have been the first grief I’d given those two over my artistic endeavors, but it would not be the last (see Chip Chats Jul/Aug 1996 "From Wooden Spools to Monuments,” by Patricia Welter, page 72). 
            A couple of years later Mom would receive an exasperated call from a local woman reporting that I and a couple of pint-sized helpers were at the door trying to pedal mud balls from a red wagon!  Having won a neighborhood mud ball making contest I had no doubt people would be grabbing for my brilliant product.
Given these early experiences, my life’s path has been no curiosity.  I have always been a natural creator, teacher and entrepreneur.  With no formal training in art nor business, I am proprietor of a thriving gallery, studio and training system the likes of which I have not seen in my life.   Early on, I set out to design a new kind of training system, but after years of revisions, at age 39 I find myself conducting what, I suspect, is an old fashioned artist's guild.  In fact, Timeless Sculptures has evolved, over the years, to become more of a training than production facility.  This evolution has been rather like building a train track while riding the train, since there has been no pattern to go by and so, presumably, the program will continue to change as I and its participants learn what not to do. Here's how things are structured now:

            Marketing:  Some 80% of Timeless Sculptures' income is generated by providing high-end special orders, or "commissions"  ($500.00 minimum, but most commissions go into the thousands or tens of thousands).  These commissions are attracted, in part, by our exclusive gallery, which features very few price tags under $1000.00.  My way with words has led to the publication of articles in some substantial national magazines. Our web-site too is becoming an exciting venue that generates leads from every country.  As our web-site grows, my magazine articles about different aspects of what we do are beginning to feature trailers as a “flag“ to our web-site. The resultant leads are then followed up via a telephone marketing system, manned by Journeyman apprentices who seek to learn customer relations and design.  The successful "screen calls" then receive a mailing or     E-mail, specific to the particular customer's needs, tastes and budget.  These mailings are in turn followed up by another phone call, and an artist's conceptual rendering is generated, based on that collaborative conversation.  The customer can then make an informed decision and return a check or credit card number as a deposit, if they wish to proceed. This marketing system, like the gallery, targets a very affluent and influential clientele. Timeless Sculptures has shipped works all over the world to people who, in many cases have never been to Tahoe.
            Since I generally have far more work then I can complete alone, more and more of the master works I commit to are subcontracted to outside studios, which fill the orders and collect their percentage.  Journeymen apprentices may then be awarded some of the commissions for customers who opt to trust the work to lesser skilled hands--but at a reduced cost.  Obviously Masterworks continue to command the full price.  This entire marketing and production system is conducted under my close supervision, of course.

            Training: You can imagine the sensitive nature of being a liaison between customers who want the job done just right, and artists who, in some cases would prefer never to meet the sometimes fickle customer.  In order to form an innate understanding between the subcontracting artists and myself, I have developed a "Visiting Master's Program".  Master sculptors from all over the world come to work with me for a few weeks or a few months, appropriately in order to learn my style, technique and standard of quality (see Chip Chats, March/April, 1991 "California Studio Seeks Traditional Carver," page 15, and January/February 1997, page 6).
            The apprentice program has more or less evolved on its own, due in no small part to the type of knowledgeable masters who frequent the studios at Timeless Sculptures.
            The apprentices offer their skills at everything from sweeping floors to web-site construction, in return for the chance to be involved in this modern day artist's guild, which I have come to refer to as "A Knowledge Exchange".
            Novices can progress to Journeymen, and eventually Master's status, each stage of the way realizing encouraging opportunities built into this training system.  Ultimately their new skills may lead to a studio of their own, in another place, where they may subcontract with Timeless Sculptures or not, at their discretion.
           
            Public Interaction and Education: Sound interesting?  Wait till you attend one of the upcoming summer tours we'll be offering to visitors as well as Tahoe residents.  The bi-daily tours will feature casting demonstrations and a chain saw carving demonstration -- a rare treat to boast about back home!
            Or maybe you'll most remember meandering through the "bone yard," where branches, stumps, and burls wait alongside natural stone slabs, all neatly ordered by artists who impatiently study each piece.
            For a brief time the procession skirts the main studio, where fascinated observers can watch the Knowledge Exchange, safe behind see-through partitions.  The creative process is evident as the tour retires to the sculpture garden, out front for refreshments. There, you can settle into a carved bench and watch a power tool demonstration, along with curious passers-by. You may request a free design conference, to discuss your ideas about sculptures that you may wish to commission!  Local tour companies are enthusiastic about making Timeless Sculptures a regular stop on their summer schedule.
           
            Now kindly indulge me while I outline some of my armchair philosophy in regard to teaching art:

           True greatness is not born of desire, but of necessity; the need to understand and
to overcome. Despite the uncertainty of a technological civilization in moral distress (in fact, especially because of it) today's young people must master self-discipline in order to learn marketable skills.
We are witness to a generation which faces, with few particular skills, the
possibility of a collapsed retirement system.  Regrettably, an academia whose
function is to prepare the populace for such an event is ill-equipped to meet the
challenge, further complicating an already uncertain future.  The tragedy of absentee
parents is reflected perhaps nowhere more starkly than in the current illiteracy rate. This
climate has given rise to a need to look beyond institutionalized thought to training 
environments which are untethered by conventional restraints, thereby fostering
innovation.  Because necessity is the mother of invention, and due to increasing
demand, my studio/gallery has become such a venue.
           An apprentice invests time (which is money) for the chance to receive something far more valuable than mere dollars and cents.  Knowledge is the commodity we use perpetually, but which never diminishes. Like fine spirits, knowledge ripens with age, and as water seeks the ocean, humanity must pursue knowledge.
           Apprentices may earn the chance to learn from accomplished masters; the long-term benefits being self-evident.  They may learn to access the creative process, which requires both discipline and abandon.  This is an organic process, in that one thing leads to the other in a random fashion, yet requiring a cohesive force to orchestrate the assembly of often complex ideas.  Mastering this process is challenging, but teaching it can be down right frustrating. 
Knowledge is to be taken with attentiveness -- and a regular thank you. Only those who value knowledge will transcend discouragement, and so starry-eyed conquerors are to be avoided; they often under-estimate obstacles, and so tend toward over-confidence.  For the apprentice, frustration is born of learning teachable skills, but the creative process itself is best taught by example. Certainly a master sets the pace in any studio.  Aside from exposure to pilferage and dishonesty, safety issues are to be considered.  A private health plan is required, but nonetheless, fingers do not grow back.  Over-enthusiasm can fall to recklessness, and passivity can occasion inattentiveness, which goes to the same effect.  In addition to being dangerous, both attitudes can be a
hindrance to growth, not to mention a burden to masters and fellow apprentices.  Because of the inherent encumbrance of building an art career in a world consumed by the day to day particularities of survival, any apprentice program must maintain a consistency of structure.
           An applicant who cannot meet appointments punctually should not be encouraged.  Selected apprentices commit to a part-time schedule.  Participants can, with one week's notice, check in and out of the program as their personal activities dictate. They set their own schedule weekly, but are expected to meet that schedule with few exceptions, if any. Effectively, the weekly schedule has become a unifying standard and screening process, in that those who have trouble with punctuality, in general have trouble with other commitments, and are eventually advised to reconsider.  The program offers no wage and requires no tuition.
           Similarly, newcomers who have trouble accepting instruction are dissuaded. They are preparing to enter a precariously balanced environment where success rides on everything from the physical organization to each person’s attitude being in place.
           Participation is often discouraged. This is not a job, but worse -- it is an apprenticeship.  As such, it is to be approached with reverence, even trepidation. I will admit that I have dissuaded my share of casual passers-by.  Better they be discouraged early on than to encounter failure after much wasted effort.  My role is to prepare artists for the realities of a harsh world, which can be discouraging -- perhaps especially for the most talented among us.           
           Skilled masters must not be encumbered by any less than forthright students.  A professional respect for the studio and it's masters is crucial because irreverence, besides being dangerous, is a precursor to the misuse of tools, wasted supplies, and materials ruined, all of which can undermine morale.  Humor is most welcome in a happy shop, but can be destructive when inappropriate.  Enthusiasm often underestimates challenge, which brings us back to discipline.  Discipline is the very stuff of commitment, and success without it will not happen. 
            And let us not devalue the investment of time.  How much money can a given person make in a day?  Multiply that number by one or two days per week and we're talking about real dollars.  Would they hope to invest that amount in savings each week?  The effect is the same when the rent comes due.  In short, any less than serious seekers of knowledge are wasting their own time, and again, are to be discouraged.   
Should unshaken hopefuls be accepted, an investment period commences. 
Considering the degree of skill an apprentice brings, each participant is expected to
contribute a preliminary investment period (2-8 days, according to the level of skill an applicant brings to the program).  This period is devoted to seemingly mundane tasks including upkeep and organization, tool repair, and equipment maintenance. These prideful skills are necessary habits, as they form the foundation for craftsmanship. This not only serves to test a person's metal, but to integrate newcomers into the studio environment.  An apprentice unwilling to earn his or her place should not be encouraged by acquiescence, as reality must ultimately prevail. 
Once past the preliminary investment period, an apprentice can be assured of spending more and more time in creative pursuit, though not always in areas of greatest preference.  As a general rule, one third of their time is spent investing, which entitles the novice apprentice to as much learning time, in which they work actively on Journeyman or Master's works. This way they can be assured of close supervision!  They are then entitled to an equal share of studio time, using the tools, materials and resources to create works of their own, which they may keep, give, sell or bury, appropriately.  Apprentices are also expected to pass down techniques which they themselves have mastered, but which others are trying to learn.  By verbalizing and defining method, we tend to learn more thoroughly ourselves.  Besides, effective supervision is a valuable skill on it's own merit, as worthy of mastery as any trade.
           An apprentice must build a firm foundation through repetition before progressing.  They can be easily bombarded with too much information too soon, rendering most of it useless, and the remainder diluted.  This being said, my method is to challenge an apprentice's weaknesses, requiring a finesse whose balance is my own challenge to master.  Sometimes it is best to let an apprentice battle out a problem on their own, as problem solving skills are crucial in a discipline all about doing things never done before.           

           So you see, I take my calling seriously, despite my ridiculous first attempts. I'm just happy to finally have better tools than that darned spoon!