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Thanks for visiting the Scrimshaw Studio of fine art, sculpture and jewelry. |
 The Scrimshaw Studio is a member of the Barrels and Blades Webring <<Prev | Next>> Ring Hub | Join Associate member: The Knifemaker's Guild American Bladesmith Society Member: Honourable Company of Horners Instructor: NRA Gunsmithing School Mr. Stevens does not do appraisals. For appraisals he recommends Sara Conklin: sconklin2@pngusa.net or American Society of Appraisers: http://www.appraisers.org/ findappraiser/
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Archeologists have discovered art work comparable to American scrimshaw that dates back to at least 100–200 AD in North America; long before the sailors of the 1800's actually created and gave name to the art form. Scrimshaw is the oldest of the very few art forms that are native to North America. While other cultures around the world certainly worked in ivory and bone, the style of North American cultures and that of the Yankee sailors were uniquely their own, making scrimshaw a traditionally American art form. Today, Scrimshaw is still practiced by master scrimshanders and their work is highly sought after and collected. Perhaps the most noted collector was President John F. Kennedy, who even displayed many of his most cherished pieces of ivory scrimshaw in the Oval Office of the White House. No animals are harmed as the result of work by responsible scrimshanders. The work seen here is all done on shed antler, bone, horn, legal elephant and most often, fossil ivories that can be as much as 10,000 to 50,000 years old or older. The fossil ivory used here is from the ice age giant, the wooly mammoth, or ancient fossil mastodon or walrus tusk, making it ethically and ecologically ideal for the traditional 14th wedding anniversary gift of ivory. Horn scrimshaw is most often seen on black powder hunting horns. The rare and beautiful woods used by the artist are primarily black Makassar Ebony and equally magnificent Ironwoods from the African continent. The art seen here is accomplished by stippling the solid surface area to create an image. Stippling is the creation of thousands of tiny holes that are then carefully filled with pigment to reveal a beautiful work of art.
Scrimshaw art is a slow and careful process where one mistake can ruin an entire piece. Creating ivory sculpture or carving is equally unforgiving work. Scrimshaw is not an art form for the impatient. Each piece can take from 30 to over 900 hours to complete.
While Jim does not do appraisals, he does invite those with scrimshaw, carving, ivory, powder horn and related questions to email him. He is an artisan always willing to share his experience and knowledge to help or inform others as best he can. |
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