Dudley Carter: Tales of the Legendary Wood Sculptor

I am a great nephew to Dudley Carter I found reading about his early life was fascinating.

Thank you for this excellent book! The abundant photos, along with stories of Dudley C. Carter (1891-1992) recounted by dozens of his friends and family, and many others, fleshes out this great man and his long artistic life in a warm and inviting way with a twist of humor.I met Dudley as he and one of his apprentices were demonstrating wood carving in the center court of Crossroads Mall in Bellevue in the spring of 1989. He was almost 98 years old at the time. The bold lines of his work and the fragrant cedar appealed to me and I approached an apprentice to find out how she had come to work with Dudley. She said, “I just asked”. So, that’s what I did and that’s how I began my adventure with this very elderly, and full of life, character. I was thrilled to be carving with an expert! Dudley was generous with his knowledge and in no time at all I was working on my own woodcarving, using a chisel and mallet, alongside the tireless master sculptor with his double-bitted axe.On a weekly basis, over about two years as his apprentice, I learned how he overcame severe health issues and other adversities to become an acclaimed artist and to create his monumental art. And what I gleaned was only the tip of the iceberg. Dudley’s life turned out to be much more interesting and important than I realized! This highly researched and detailed book brings it all into focus from various perspectives. The writing style is fun and engaging, and the multitude of excellent photos, and Dudley’s own notes and sketches help to knit together the fascinating stories from his primitive early years in the logging industry and absorbing the art and culture of the West Coast Indigenous Peoples, to starting to work as an artist during the Great Depression, to prestigious monumental carving commissions up and down the west coast and beyond. Bits of the storytellers’ own accomplished lives, touched by Dudley during his long and prolific life, are also woven into this inspiring and uplifting collection.In Dudley Carter - Tales of the Legendary Wood Sculptor ‘Lyn and Mary put a lot of love, wit, and hard work preserving the nearly 101-year history of this amazing man - from dashing timber cruiser to an incredible artist. Whether you are someone who knew Dudley, or someone just interested in west coast art, sculpture, and history, you won’t want to put it down!

Incredible insight into an artist I never met but whose art I fell in love with upon moving to the Northwest in 1989. Over the years, I learned more about Dudley but this book adds so much to that partial picture -- from his youth, to his timber cruising to his early art. Reading more about his friendship with Diego Rivera and that era of art drove home the point that Dudley, while always modest, was Northwest art royalty.The authors did an incredible job listing as many of the hundreds of Carter sculptures they could document, as well as where they are. Many are still in Washington and the book made me yearn to take a road trip across the state to find, admire and embrace each piece.One aspect I had hoped to read about was whether Dudley ever talked of what many would see as a contradiction: having been a timber cruiser, ie finding old growth trees for industry, and then an artist who obviously had a deep connection with cedars and redwoods. Was he remorseful that he'd once worked as a cruiser? Or did he just see it as human progress -- timber was needed for buildings and that was that.In any case, the stories about Dudley were not just entertaining but showed how many people he touched with his art -- and how he helped express the Northwest's identity.

A very well written tribute with interesting personal experiences and tales of life from many voices that intertwined with Dudley Carter’s life. Thanks for a very enjoyable read

Before this book, I never cared for the sort of art that Dudley Carter created. Now with this book and being able to read about the artist and how the art and his personage affected other people, I feel like I can at last appreciate it and finally even take an interest.Being able to either start at the beginning of the book and read through or just pick up the book and take a few minutes for a few stories really helped! The photos and how personal all the accounts are, just wow!I had expected a dry, boring timeline of some old guy's "amazing art life," but that is not this book. It is first person accounts, explanations of how and why the art was created, symbolism, and so much more. Color photographs with clear captions draw you into the book. You feel like you're looking at a family album with someone at your side explaining the stories behind each moment.Well written, beautiful story of not only an artist, but a man and his creations. A part of history preserved to be discovered and appreciated by all.