I’m glad to have the chance to tell you more about this week’s Giveaway artist Toney Robertson. I mentioned that Toney is an Indiana Artisan…and I was thrilled to discover that Sleeping Dogs Studio and he have more than that in common.
As a child, his mother told him that anything worth doing was worth doing right – a mantra my own Mom passed on from my Grandfather. It’s clear that Toney is “doing things right” with his art pieces. He credits this phrase with instilling the strong work ethic that carries over to his woodworking today.
Toney uses wood indigenous to northeastern Indiana in his work whenever he can. Most recently he has been working with spalted maple, cherry and walnut. The results are elegant and dramatic.
I shared reader questions with Toney, and he was gracious enough to answer them below:
1) Where did you come up with the name for your art business?
I don’t really have a name for my business. I just use my name and fine woodworking. That about covers what I do.
2) What do you most enjoy about being an artist?
The creation process. I really enjoy thinking about a piece in my head and then being able to translate that to the real world.
3) Where do you show most of your work?
At present, I have pieces in galleries in Logansport and Ft. Wayne. I also have two pieces in the Indiana State Museum at the present time.
4) Can you tell us a little bit about how you started your business?
I have enjoyed woodworking since I was young. I am/was in construction and with the faltering economy I looked to woodworking to garner some additional income.
I think we’d all agree that Toney’s particularly well-suited to his second career – his lovely work is a testament to that.
Underside of Bowl
Don’t forget to sign up to win this week’s Give-away from Toney by adding to the comment section with a special note saying “Give-away – 3/12″. And a special thanks to him for both the generous donation, and for his time in talking to us!
