"Andy" ANDERSON's COWBOYS (H.S.Anderson)

[jonyangel]

Howdy, PARDNERS! -- Looking for any and all info on Andy Anderson's cowboy carvings -- specifically, his 'COWBOY CARICATURES'. -- I have one carving that's been in our family since very near 1940 -- scraggly/scruffy old 'cowpoke'. Uncle, as a young man, purchased in it Texas (Dallas, I believe he told me). I have photos, all Email-able JPEGS, of this SWELL! piece and would be glad to send to you. There have been Anderson pieces sold at auction in some of the SUPER FINE Western Americana auctions recently... and I have communicated with the STARK MUSEUM in Orange, Texas -- super-nice person there says they have many Anderson carvings. I am aware that Anderson authored a book, publ in 1953... but have not seen that book. -- ANYONE care to EDUCATE me as to ANDERSON's place in the Carving World... collectibles and antiques. THIS Cowpoke-caricature is nearing the status of 'antique'. -- THANKs MUCH. Love to talk to you. I am JOHNNY... and am in the far SUBURBS of CHICAGO, IL. You could Email me at: <<jonyweb@aol.com> ... I would LOVE to hear from you. Sincerely, Johnny.

I've seen a copy of the book, but have been told that it is no longer in print. I would LOVE to have a copy. The book is a collectors item in itself.

AA was one of the (if not THE) first 'famous' cowboy caricature carvers. His pieces are very much sought after for collections.

Forgive me if I leave out details, but I am writting this from memory.

H. S. (Andy) Anderson was raised in the Southwest and moved to California to work as a carpenter. *While there, he began carving scenes of the cowboy life he had left behind.

Some folks saw his work and he turned to carving for a living.

Andy was the first American caricature carver to write a book on the subject.

His book was published by the University of New Mexico press;
it is titled 'How to carve characters in wood'.

It is available in hardback (price range $30.00 to $160.00) and softback *(price range $1.75 to $30.00). *Book sellers may be higher.

Andy worked for Brayton Laguna pottery for a few years and there are several figurines designed in his style.

One of his 'courtroom' scenes is in the American Swedish Art Museum in Minnisota. *He was most famous for his large scenes with multiple figures.

Andy made his own knives from straight razors; his favorite was 'Extra Hollow Ground' razors from Germany.

Andy, like most caricature carvers of that period, carved in a rough-unfinished style; influenced by the Swedish flat-plane style.

The carvings in my personal collection still show saw marks and unpainted wood in some areas.

There have been chalkware knockoffs done from Brayton Laguna pottery that still represent his style although some details are omitted.

That's about all I can say without being near my reference materials.

Except, I regret that some carvings end up in the hands of profiteers instead of serious collectors. *I have known several individuals who thought they could get rich off a handful of carvings. *Although I have an extensive collection and add to it each month, I would never deal with that type of seller.

Rick did pretty good from memory. Andy was raised in Colorado where he worked as a cow hand. He followed his folks to California where he did indeed work as a carpenter. He carved all during this period and was 'discovered' while in California. his work was collected by industry leaders and influential poloticians (anyone remember a president named Roosevelt?). In his book there is a picture of an Indian (Native American) that is clothed and has a wig of real hair. Maybe Rick can let us know if that was a common technique he used? I picked the book up years ago at a library auction for less than a dollar and it is one of the reasons I still carve.

Dave

[oldbearx2]

If my memory serves me right there was an article in one of the back issues of Woodcarivng Illustrated that had some info and pictures of some of Anderson's work. I probably have it in my stack of stuff. But maybe you can check that out. Have fun. oldbearx2

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

for sale here... http://antiqbook.com/boox/reb/16403.shtml

also here - $25
http://www.biblio.com/books/14998757.html

and here for $108
http://www.biblio.com/books/3473150.html

I would try here first, just type in your zip code.
Once you get to a particular library, you can search for the book with their search engine.

http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcp...ec1166310.html