Wood Carving at its Best and Getting Better -
Fine Wood Carvers Sought For Tahoe Gallery
 (As published in Chip Chats Magazine)
By Matthew G. Welter

            Lake Tahoe, for all her spectacular majesty, unbridled energy and paradisiacal weather, has always been a rather sleepy little hamlet, set into the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It has been a well kept secret among the affluent and influential who scramble to buy a piece of this pristine place. Her ambiance is calming to the mind, and inspiring to the soul.
            In recent years, however, the circle appears to be widening. More and more urbanites are finding welcome retreat on the shores and in the forests of this national treasure. And not only nature-loving campers and recreating families are visiting the international resort community. De-urbanization resulting from business being conducted in cyberspace has attracted a sophisticated breed of intellectual to Lake Tahoe. A blossoming arts community taps the limitless inspiration of this huge lake, perched high on a mountain peak. The inspiration is translated into much sought-after depositories of passion--otherwise termed artworks. These significant works find their way to all reaches of the planet. They are charged with wisdom, possessed only by nature in her most raw form.
            In this, the shocking power of nature is harnessed, witnessed and shared by the academic intellect and intuitive artist alike. That is why both are drawn here--to participate in the spirit and the goodness of nature. That is why a technological humanity will always need to connect with its spirituality. It is a counterpart expressed in the arts and inspired by the master creator through the miracle of nature.
            On Tahoe's North Shore, in the little town of Kings Beach stands a sculpture gallery and studio made of wood from the surrounding forest. The gallery floor is carpeted with chips from those same trees and visitors are greeted by the sensual aroma of sawdust and wood sap.
            Sculptures in table-top to monumental proportion by dozens of artists stand as reassuring reminders of something very pure--from wildlife themes to human figures, from realism to meticulous abstractions. An eclectic bouquet of enduring value is displayed among the towering pines. Visitors often settle into a piece of sculptured furniture in order to comprehend the subtlety. At times they appear dumbfounded. Some act as though they suspect an elaborate hoax. "Can this be legal?" It is all legal and it is no hoax.
            I am the proprietor of that gallery on Tahoe's North Shore. At the age of 13, I made wooden people with a chainsaw and chisels under an oak tree next to my father's cabinet shop, while he and my mother looked on curiously. There I began what is now "Timeless Sculptures", and it has become a California legend of sorts.
            Over the years I have welcomed works by scores of sculptors, in addition to my own statuary and sculptured furniture. Materials represented range from stone to clay, to bronze, glass and metal. By far the most popular medium, however, remains wood. So much so that I have begun a search for some of this country's most talented wood workers, in the hopes of eventually representing wood sculpture exclusively.           
            I aspire, in my showroom, to house some of the noblest works to be executed in wood, all in a splendorous natural setting. In an art market which sells the names of artists whose careers are built on hype, and who have never lain eyes on most of their reproductions, I hope to offer intrinsic value. In an age of plastic, glass and integrated circuitry, wood more than ever is just plain good. I foresee a day when wood carvers will be valued as far more than fine craftsmen, though such a distinction is not without dignity. I have noticed the emergence of a deeper appreciation for pieces labored and loved over -- one at a time, brimming with life--Works that demonstrate line, content and composition. Mastery of light and shadow is a sensitivity reserved for the artist who is a technician of contrast.
            Nowhere is this trend toward one-of-a kind wood sculptures more evident then in the demand for commissioned works being experienced at my gallery. Indeed, I have become a full time designer who orchestrates a small team of coordinating assistants. Anticipation mounts as together we explore an ever widening market. From pieces created in our studio, to special orders filled by outside studios, to on-site sculptures in existing tree stumps, we design sculptures for customers who are happy to hear from us. Timeless Sculptures has become more a design firm which finds challenging the potential of collaboration with some very special people -- our customers.        
            Indeed, fine woodworkers are being sought not only at Lake Tahoe, but by a humanity in need of meaning, of nature, and of something very real which defies explanation.
            We are entering an age in which the need to define the intangible maintains a stronger presence than ever. But for the will to explain, there would be no void to fill with wooden wonders, and no need for artists to illustrate vision or stability in a changing world.