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Folk Artist Carves Roadside Attraction

08/29/2020

All that Montezuma County folk artist Dave Sipe needs to create a carving is a chainsaw, a chunk of wood and the inspiration the wood gives him. Stop by his roadside museum on the way to Cortez.

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IF YOU'VE EVER DRIVEN ON HIGHWAY 160,BETWEEN MANCOS AND CORTEZ, YOU'VE SURELY NOTICED DAVE SIPE FOLK ANDFINER ART MUSEUM.


SO I WAS KIND OF A GYPSY CARVER FORQUITE A FEW YEARS, AND THEN I'D HIT FAIRS AND COMPETITIONS ANDWHATNOT, AND THEN KIND OF DROPPED THE FAIRS AND COMPETITIONS ANDSTARTED WORKING AT A LITTLE TRADING POST DOWN IN CAVE CREEK, ARIZONA.I KNEW CARVERS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. I KIND OF, THEY KIND OF HAD ANOPEN DOOR POLICY FOR ME, WHERE I COULD COME IN, INTO VARIOUS SHOPS.ONE IN WISCONSIN, HURLEY, WISCONSIN, UP IN MINNESOTA AND OUT INSEATTLE, WHERE OTHER CARVERS INVITED ME IN TO HELP THEM BUILDINVENTORY. SO THEY HAD THE MATERIALS THERE. I SHOW UP WITH MY SAWSAND START CARVING LIKE A MADMAN AND, AND, YOU KNOW, THEY PUT IT OUTFOR SALE WITH THE REST OF THEIR WORK.

AND WHEN I ROLLTHROUGH, AGAIN, I PICK UP A PAYCHECK KIND OF DEAL. SO IT WAS PRETTYGOOD LIFESTYLE WHERE I COULD TRAVEL. PREFERRED IT, AND THEN YOU'DWANDER OFF TO THE NEXT SPOT AND, HOPEFULLY, SELL, SELL SOME THINGS ATVARIOUS SPOTS AROUND THE COUNTRY, YOU KNOW, AND MOVE WITH THEWEATHER.


ONE THING YOU NOTICE RIGHT AWAY IS THATDAVE HAS THE STYLE.


I JUST CLASSIFIED FOLK, FOLK FREELANCE.IT'S MORE INDEPENDENT KIND OF PEOPLE THAT HAVEN'T BEEN KIND OFSCHOOLED IN A CERTAIN STYLE OF ART AND MAYBE EXPERIMENT ON THEIR OWNWITHOUT A LOT OF GUIDANCE. I'M NOT LOOKING FOR TOO MUCH GUIDANCE.WELL, FOLK ART COULD BE ANYTHING, RIGHT? I HAVE JUST GENERALLYSPEAKING IF YOUR STEREOTYPE, AND IT IS PROBABLY PEOPLE THAT WEREN'TADVANCED, DIDN'T HAVE ANY ADVANCED SCHOOLING IN ART OR COLLEGE ORWHATNOT, AND THEY TEND TO JUST DO IT ON THEIR OWN.

AND, YOUKNOW, A TRADITIONAL, A LOT OF FOLK ART MAYBE HAS, LIKE MAYBERELIGIOUS THEMES OR OTHER, OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT. AND I JUST KIND OFDANCE AROUND ALL THAT A LITTLE BIT AND MAYBE TRY TO THROW A LITTLEHUMOR INTO IT, IF I CAN. GOD JUST KINDA LET IT, LET IT HAPPEN. ANDWHATEVER DIRECTION HAPPENS, YOU KNOW, YOU SEE SOMETHING AND YOUCHANGED DIRECTIONS A LITTLE BIT. LIFE'S LIKE THAT, I GUESS.


NEXT TIME YOU'RE OUT THEIR WAY. STOP INAND SAY HI TO DAVE AND NANCY. THEY'D LOVE TO SEE YOU.


FOR LOCAL NEWS NETWORK. I'M BRIANSULLIVAN.


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