Palmer Museum stages art classes

WASILLA - As origin stories for artists go, Tracy Fowler's is pretty humble.

"I wanted a fish stuffed and the wife didn't want a dead fish on the wall," he said.

So he carved himself a salmon out of wood. That was five years ago. Since then, he's made dozens of fish and moved on to other animals. He does halibut, shrimp, mosquitoes and butterflies. He also carves bowls and tables.

"The fish are the big thing," Fowler said.

For most of those five years he was doing commission work, getting new business through word of mouth.

"This last year I got a little more serious about it," Fowler said.

He's taken in orders from galleries around the state. And now he's set to teach a class through the Palmer museum.

Museum director Mel Jenski said the class is a yearly thing for her organization, put on with grant funding from the Alaska State Council on the Arts and National Endowment for the Arts. The museum offers the classes in the slower winter season when the museum isn't busy with tourist traffic.

This is her first year running them, though she did take a class from June Pardue, who will be teaching a Native Skin Sewing class.

"You walk away with a fur hat and a pattern to make more," Jenski said.

She said she likes that this year's lineup includes modern arts like Fowler's carving class and the accessories-weaving class, "Fiber Bling Jewelry."

"It's just a great way to get the community involved and I think especially in the winter," she said.

Registration is available online at palmermuseum.org. As of Tuesday, none of the classes were full, though they were filling up.

"We got a lady from Eureka who's already signed up for four classes," Jenski said. "She says she's tired of all the snow."

Fowler said his class is unique among the group in that it's the only one not being taught at the museum. The museum building isn't really a good place to spread sawdust around.

He said he thinks students will come away with a good understanding of how to carve safely using power tools. He said also plans to give students a rundown of what tools are worth the investment.

"There's a lot of tools out there that promise a lot and don't deliver," Fowler said.

He said he thinks people will be able to complete a smaller piece over the course of the class. Maybe a bowl. Maybe a mosquito or shrimp. Maybe even butterflies like the set of three he has at his shop.

Or maybe not.

"They probably won't be able to get all three butterflies done in one class," Fowler said.

Contact Andrew Wellner at Andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.