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Linda Karst Stone - Scrimshander
| In 1976, as a high school art student
in Ohio, Linda was introduced to scrimshaw when hired by a local
business. The job lasted long enough to teach the basic techniques
and launch her long-lasting career. Linda pursued fine art training
at the University of Toledo and the Toledo Museum of Art. Her focus
on anatomy, figure drawing, and design are reflected in her work
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Linda's scrimshaw is created in the traditional method without
a machine. A hand-held carbide steel-tipped scribe is used
to combine techniques including line, stipple and crosshatching
to define her subject matter. The black lines are created by
scratching into the surface then filling that void with black
India ink; excess ink is cleaned from the surface. The color
areas are incised one at a time, dark to light. Pigments rubbed
into the lines are Winsor & Newton artists' water colors
chosen for their permanence and quality of pigments. Renaissance
wax is applied to help protect the delicate design. Linda prefers
ivory as her canvas, a material that can possess warmth and
personality and often suggests a particular subject or composition.
Her realistic style has depth and a sculptural quality that
bring her subjects to life. Linda takes thousands of photographs
to inspire her compositions. She enjoys bringing the ideas,
experiences, and memories of her clients, together with her
own, to create unique art pieces. |
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Rooted in the Texas Hill Country with husband Mark Stone, Linda
exhibits at select shows across the country and enjoys collaborations
with knife makers worldwide. |
Personal Scrimshaw Milestones
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Lone Ranger Movie Prop
I imagine that every creative soul wants to work on a movie and see their work on the big screen, and I am no exception. I got my chance in February 2012 to work on a prop for the Lone Ranger, starring Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer and Helena Bonham Carter. Helena's character, Red Harrington, has an ivory leg. I was chosen to scrimshaw that leg from the garter down to her beautiful red boot…WHAT FUN! The design wrapped all the way around the piece, which was an actual full-sized cast of her leg. I really felt part of the team. Forty friends and family went with me to the opening July 3rd, 2013 to see my work on the big screen. We all loved it...action packed, fun humor, beautiful cinematography. Go See it for yourself and watch for the leg!
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• December of 2009, my husband Mark and I went to present
a knife by Edmund Davidson to
Richard Petty. We met his wife Linda, daughter Lisa, and her
husband Charlie Luck who commissioned the piece as a gift. They
are a gracious and kind family who made our group feel welcome
at the Petty museum in Randleman, North Carolina. A real honor
and a very fun day! |
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• My name was mentioned in one of Tom Clancy's Net Force books, "Point
of Impact" by Steve Perry. One of the characters was pregnant
and thought she would take up scrimshaw as a pastime. It was
nice to be noted. |
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• I scrimshawed a knife (right) made by Harvey Dean that
Brad Pitt gave to Quentin Tarantino as a gift after the movie "Inglourious
Basterds". How's that for name dropping? |
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• Beginning in 1998, I met Randy Reid and his hard-working family
who own Shepherd
Hills Cutlery. They work closely with Case Knives
and since then I have been producing a very limited numbered-series
for them that we sell at their annual "Celebration in the
Ozarks" event in September at their main store in Lebanon,
Missouri. At that event they have a free "Case Camp for
Kids", teaching them many age appropriate aspects of knives,
knife making, and collecting. My husband and I teach a scrimshaw
class that day for 8-10 students who have an interest in art.
The class has been filling up fast and is one of the highlights
of my year. I am hoping we all will be reading about some of
our students in the future.
• I do have a small inventory of items for sale. Most
will be posted under "Current Work". When I am not
at a show, items are for sale or view at the Wildgoose
Gallery in Ingram, Texas. |
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How I Started
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When I was in high school I spent most of my time in the art
department; we had two wonderful teachers, Mrs. Harrison and
Mr. Nicholson, who took time to expose us to many forms of art.
A local business wanted to hire students to work as an after-school
job. I was only 15 and they had to tell us what scrimshaw was
and how to do it. My classmate Sandra Brady and I were both hired.
Our employer did shows in and around Ohio, and it got to the
point where they would pay us "after the next show".
So that didn't last long, but Sandy and I became friends and
wanted to continue in scrimshaw. We borrowed money from my parents
and started doing shows. (Now my Dad wishes he would have received
a percentage of our business, instead of having us repay the
loan!) I believe one of the reasons we both have successful careers
now is because as we were learning, we
had each other to help work out the techniques. We made double
the mistakes and were able to fix them twice as fast. We worked
together until I moved to Texas in 1981, and I still treasure
Sandy's friendship today. ScrimshawBySandraBrady.com |
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Other Interests
| Linda and her husband Mark
enjoy fixing up old buildings in Kerrville, Texas. The following
web site highlights their newest effort. www.DepotSquareKerrville.com |
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I love to listen to music while I scrimshaw. I like songs that
tell stories and you can hear the lyrics through the music. Some
of my favorites are Walt
Wilkins, Kate Wolf, Natalie Merchant,
Guy Clark, The Indigo Girls, and Harry Chapin - to name a few.
I received permission from Walt to use his music on my "Learn
to Scrimshaw" DVD set. |
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I practice Tai Chi and have been attending weekly classes since
about 2000. My teacher, friend and neighbor, Anne
Schneider has
a studio just a few doors from mine. I find the movements still
my soul and build my inner strength. The beautiful descriptions
of the movements have inspired several of my scrimshaw designs. |
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These watercolors by Linda Karst Stone were done on location.
I spent several seasons in Alaska
working as a camp cook for guided hunting and fishing expeditions.
These were small tent camps where we flew in a Super Cub (above,
right) on tundra tires or skis. The spring camp for spring
grizzly bear hunts and summer fishing was on the far west coast,
north of Unalakeet on the Shacktoolick River. The fall camp
(above, left) for dall sheep, moose, bears, and caribou was
at the head waters of the Swift River on the west side of the
Alaskan Mountain Range. I loved the wilderness experience and
I learned many things in those remote locations. One of those
primary lessons: if you have flush toilets and hot water at
the tap, the rest is all gravy. Expect less and you will always
have more!
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My husband Mark Stone and I were married 11/11/00, on a full
moon. We celebrate lunar anniversaries and howl when the moon
is full. He is talented, kind, and supportive and he brought
to our union two beautiful daughters, Stephanie and Lisa. I am
now a Grandmother, too, and they all fill my heart! Check out
Stephanie's art on her
Etsy site. |
Mark Stone - Corn Water & Wood
Studio
From Mark's
brochure
Most of us have heard the expression "Jack
of all trades, and master of none". That does not apply
to Mark Stone. He seems to conquer everything he tries with a
very short learning curve. Mark's accomplishments so far cover
many forms. In earlier years he built custom homes in Texas and
knows all aspects of construction. He has worked for some of
Texas' well known residences, including Lieutenant Governor David
Dewhurst.
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When he married Linda Karst in 2000,
he became immersed in her world of scrimshaw and custom knives.
He started buying blades and custom finishing them into his frontier-style
knives and learned to make his own "Indian Style" leather
sheathes (below). As a team, Mark and Linda have rescued many historic
buildings in Kerrville, including the San Antonio & Aransas
Pass Train Depot* and an adjoining lumberyard started in 1889.
The yard operated for over 108 years and is now an events hall
named to honor its first owner, Frank Beitel. Mark transforms the
antique wood harvested from those projects into beautiful tables,
display cabinets, and more.
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| Mark also taught himself to play guitar. ** That path led him
to build custom guitars from raw blocks of wood (some even have
custom scrimshaw inlays by Linda). He built his studio next to
their Kerrville home to resemble an old church. Corn
Water & Wood Studio was named for a Michael Murphy
song of that name. The song reminds us that the most precious treasures
on earth are the simple things that give us life and feed our souls,
an idea that inspires all of Mark's creations. |
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| Mark enjoys his many trades: builder, carpenter, luthier, musician,
artist, and craftsman. He puts his soul and spirit into his work
- a reflection of the top qualities that you recognize when you
meet this talented man. |
 
* The Depot won Best Small Town Restoration in the State of
Texas when completed in 2004. It is now an award winning restaurant
(www.railscafe.com)
** Mark is one of the 1,867 guitar players to
win a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for most guitars
played together! Luckenbach, Texas, August 2009 |
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