About the Artist

R.D. Lewis, a product of the Missouri countryside, continues a family tradition of craftsmanship in wood. As a child her was fascinated by intricate carvings of miniature horses and\par wagons skillfully crafted by his father. Inspired by the achievements of his talented parent, soon R.D. too began to carve, expecting from himself the same high standards of workmanship set by the examples produced in his home. As a young man, R.D. put his developing skills to practical use by carving replacement parts for damaged antique furniture, thus gaining a knowledge of, and a deep appreciation for, early American craftsmanship.

With widening reputation came opportunities to turn from the basically practical to more decorative and expressive works. A general revival of interest in historic Americana resulted in demands upon his skills for the carving of cigar store indians, ship figureheads, historic display figures, and carousel horses. And beyond his commitment to practical and decorative Americana, a deep personal interest in natural forms has impelled Lewis to produce lifelike, finely detailed wildfowl, closely observed and carved to be faithful to species in form and habit.

In person, Lewis lives the life of a humble, practical craftsman, far from the cookie-and-teacup world of art promotion. Nevertheless his work appears regularly in prestigious galleries and in numerous respected private collections. No rustic primitive, he has assembled an extensive and authoritative library of woodcarving craft, and is aware of the work of other master woodcarvers, both contemporary and historic.

These are proud and noble steeds. Their heads are held high, their manes and tails are flowing, and their gait is regal. No ordinary horses, these spirited animals are outfitted in the most elegant of trappings and appear to be meant for people like medieval knights, Chinese warlords or circus trick riders. Or, perhaps, for children enjoying their first carousel rides. The handcrafted carousel horses are a labor of love for master wood carver R.D. Lewis. The 60-year-old artist works alone to the sound of classical music in a small red barn-like shop east of town.

This day, three projects are in the works. The floor is covered with Oregon sugar pine shavings from a full-size carousel horse under construction. The rough cutting is nearly complete on a head and a haunch, both positioned at odd angles near his work bench. When completed, interlocking pieces will be glued together to form the finished horse. Spread out on a table acorss the shop is the cut-out paper pattern for a half-size carousel pig. On his work bench next to an assortment of dozens of chisels and cutting tools is a finished carving of a carousel horse, about l8 inches high and mounted, complete with pole, on a small stand.The figure is ready for coloring by Lewis' wife, Denise. Lewis uses basswood, an eastern hardwood, for his small figures because it is easier to do the intricate carving work. Even without the finishing work, the figure is striking. The graceful conformation, flowing mane and tail and elegant trappings are all evident in the carved white wood. Denise Lewis uses translucent stains rather than opaque paints to color the horses. When they are complete, the horses are brightly colored, with realistic glass eyes and jeweled trappings.

The original carved wooden carousel horses dating back more than a century were finished with opaque paints. But Lewis quit using such paints because people wouldn't believe that his figures were carved from wood. Colored stains allow the wood grain to show through. Lewis loves the beauty of the wood, and he says the visible grain is "sort of my trademark." The stain also leaves evident the thin lines where the different pieces join. "People like to see how they are put together," Lewis says.

He grew up on a farm in the Ozarks of southwest Missouri. A former meat cutter and truck driver;Lewis still favors jeans, work shirts, big silver buckles and red loggersuspenders. Gray-haired and robust, he looks like he still could jump in abig rig and highball it across the country. Horses and wood carving both were important parts of Lewis' life. Her loved working with the livestock on his father's farm. Carving figures was a skill he learned from his father, who used to carve teams of horses pulling miniature vehicles. Lewis continued carving horses and wildlife as a hobby throughout his life, until he found that he could make money at it.

His first commission came in 1960 when he was living in California. Someone offered him $500 to carve a full-5ize wooden Indian. That was when collecting wooden Indians had become fashionable in some circles. Lewis discovered that people were paying good money for wooden Indians that he says were poorly carved, ugly and "downright grotesque." "I figured I couldn't make one any worse than the ones I had seen, so that's how I got started," he says. His wood sculpture career continued on a part-timie basis until about 1970, when he began carving full time. About 1978, he and Denise left California to get away from the smog, traffic and population pressures of the San Fernando valley.

After his first wooden Indian, Lewis carved many more. He also did a lot of animal and wildlife figures -eagles, dog heads, buffalo "and just about anything people would ask me to do. "Duck decoys became hot collectible items, and Lewis became well-known for his decoy carvings. About the time their popularity began to fade in the 1970s, the collection of carousel horses became popular. Most of the original wood figures carved for the big carousel companies in the late 1800s and early 1900s were bought up by collectors or put out of circulation in campaigns to restore many of the grand old carousels. Prices for what onginals were available skyrocketed, and a hot market developed for reproductions. Lewis was ready to supply them.

He studied the carvings of the old European and American masters. He says his horses are carvd in the tradition of the old masterpieces, but he tries to maintain a distinctive style. He believes that the secret of a good carousel horse is to give it "an exagerated look of animation." He tries for an overstated feeling of motion and action, and usually succeeds. Most of his horses look like they are about to jump off their brass poles and run away. As word of his creations spread, his work began appearing in prestigious galleries. Now, most of his time is spent keeping up with the carousel horse orders. Carousel horses are not cheap. Antique carved horses from the heyday of carousels are selling for aywhere from $5,00 to $32,000 (1988 prices!)

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