It's been a long, hard, exhausting but
extremely satisfying journey for J Chester Armstrong. A journey that
has taken J Chester (Known as Skip) to Belize, back to Central
Oregon and very soon to Boise, Idaho for the installation of one of
his most prized creation. We've had the pleasure of knowing Skip and
representing his wood carvings at High Desert Gallery in Sisters,
Oregon for a number of years. His work is often monumental but his
most recent creation is beyond words. We've read articles in the
Nugget News, seen images and visited the doors under “construction,”
but even with the advanced previews our visit today with Skip was
unbelievable. We were awestruck. The following are images and a
two part video of the doors to be installed in Saint Mary's Catholic Church in
Boise Idaho. Please enjoy the images and quotes of Skip from the
Nugget News. Links to the full Nugget News articles follows the
text. Plan your trip to Boise – Installation is planned for the
first week of December 2008 and the dedication to follow on a to be
announced date.
Saint Mary's Church Doors Video Parts One and Two (You may want to increase the volume setting):
J Chester Armstrong Video Part One:
J Chester Armstrong Video Part Two:
J Chester ( Skip ) Armstrong:
"Before I was ever a carver and
sculptor, I packed my Volkswagen van and went through Mexico,
Guatemala and Belize in 1971. What inspired me to become a carver was
seeing the ancient artifacts and the sculptures on the Mayan temples.
So it is kind of like going back to my own roots and source of
inspiration.”
"It came about through Father
Faucher who was the pastor at the Catholic church here in town. I did
the sculptures that are in the garden and church there as a part of
the remodeling program that he instituted. He was a visionary and a
renaissance man, who wanted to use art to the fullest in the church."
"What started as an idea in my mind as Father Faucher read a passage out of Revelations about the seven-headed dragon attacking the virgin queen, defended by Archangel Michael, led to a sketch on paper, a journey to Belize and now into the physical dimension - this is it!" .
"I immediately had this vision of this great battle scene on the front door of the church. He loved the idea, so I drew him a sketch of what I had in mind and that is how this project developed."
"The key to this whole thing is the scale. These doors will be 16 feet high by 10 feet wide by 18 inches thick. So that is timber, not just wood. I wanted to do it out of mahogany because that is such a classic wood. It is durable and has great color. It is a perfect wood in a church context."
"You can't get wood like I am looking for in this country, so I came up with this whole concept. The only place this wood is available is in the area around Belize. About eight years ago there was a hurricane that came through there and knocked down millions of board feet of mahogany. Those trees are still laying in the jungle.”
"I am going to mill the wood and
assemble them into a door, which is critical as only
finished
products can be exported. The Belizeans will not allow timber to be
exported; only finished goods can be exported. I am going to carve it
in the jungle on the Mayan ruins, so I am going to tie this whole
thing into the Mayan history of carving."
"The first two weeks were spent getting the wood together for the door timbers. Mahogany, 12-inch-by-18-inch by-16-feet, proved to be difficult to get as most of the big trees have already been cut. We tracked through the jungle's deep mud and finally found the hurricane-damaged trees we were looking for. With help from the local Mayans, we assembled the doors and on day 15 I drew the image on the surface with a piece of chalk and began carving with the chainsaw."
"I started sculpting the dragon first as I could hardly wait to see what it was going to look like 14 feet high and 20 inches deep. And Wow! It looked like the serious contender for bad-ass of the universe. But, Father Faucher said he liked drama."
"The doors will weigh eight tons, and I will be removing four tons of wood. The back of the door will be Noah's Ark using all the animals of the Northwest, which will bring it back home."
"It's a contemporary rendition of a Renaissance art form.”
Read the complete Nugget News article:
Sisters sculptor: Have chainsaw, will travel
Nugget News: Sculptor unveils cathedral doors
Nugget News: Armstrong unveils
spectacular doors
About J Chester Armstrong: A self taught artist, Skip achieved national and international reputation through gallery representation in major art cities including Carmel, Laguna Beach, Palm Desert, Santa Fe, Taos, Aspen and others. He has been sculpting professionally since 1972 and his work is sought after by private and corporate collectors worldwide.
"My art depicts and expresses the world of nature - primitive, immediate and direct; the screams of eagles soaring on the wind; the stealth of big cats hunting; coyotes howling at the moon rise; the pound of horses on the run; otters playing water tag ... these things move me; this and me are one - brothers of the life force. To find this is my joy, to express it, my passion," states Armstrong.
High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon is honored to represent J Chester Armstrong in Central Oregon.
