Published: August 30, 2005 08:41 am            

Brown a carving artist.

A few miles north of Woodward near Boiling Springs State Park a true artist has been making his mark in the world with nothing but a few pieces of wood, a knife, and a lot of talent.

Victor Brown whittled his first piece of wood in 1958 and hasn’t stopped what he loves doing ever since.

“I still have the very first piece of wood I ever whittled on. I took a small wooden stake and carved it into a never ending chain, that is, I carved a solid piece of wood into a chain and I never had to break a link to make it,” Brown said.

With numerous carvings and art work to his name Brown still stays a humble person.

“I never considered myself an artist,” said Brown

But an artist he has become.

Brown’s major pieces are the canes and staffs he makes mainly for family and friends and occasionally the curious person who hears about his work. He starts with a regular piece of wood such as a limb or root and begins to strip the bark off, sands the limb smooth, and then begins his carvings of usually Indian art work he has studied throughout the years. He finishes with a a handle usually made out of a deer antler and a coat of acrylic lacquer to give the canes a shine.

“In the 1960’s I worked in New Mexico at a uranium mill and was in charge of a seven man crew which meant I was in charge of relieving men who needed a break and making sure things got done. This allowed me to have time to whittle and learn how to really get the carvings looking great,” said Brown.

Brown mainly shows his talent on the canes but his house is full of deer antlers, silver, and even alabaster that he carves on as well. Brown’s house is filled with his own art work and pieces from Africa, Mexico, and all over the United States.

“I have an appreciation for all types of wood work and carvings,” Brown said.

Brown has a deep knowledge of Indian history not only of around the Woodward area but across the nation as well. He also has an extensive arrowhead collection which he has gathered over a lifetime in the southwestern United States, which includes jobs in a uranium mill, refrigerator serviceman, pipelines in West Texas and a refinery technician for Phillips.

“I love just taking off through the woods and hills around here and just seeing what I can find,” Brown said.

Due to recent illness Brown doesn’t get to go out as much as he would like to but he continues to be a lover of the outdoors which he shows through his carvings on his canes and staffs.

He continues to work on new projects every day and when called upon is always willing to make an artistic master piece for numerous organizations here Woodward as well as for the museum.

Brown said, “ I plan on donating a piece to the National Rifle Association banquet in September. It is a cane with many carvings on it and I have also scripted the Second Amendment on it.”

Brown, a Buffalo High School graduate, is also a veteran and served in Korea.

        

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