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Tom Sterling
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Artists Tom Sterling and Dr. J.P. Higgens combine stone tools and sculpture into unique masterpieces that are rarely matched elsewhere. Each creation is an original museum quality work, evocative of times long past. Long fascinations with many artistic and historic disciplines have led to artistic interpretations of the tools and weapons of bygone times, resulting in a fascinating fusion of cultures. Nordic, Celtic, Aztec, Mayan and Northwest Native American influences are often noticeable, but whimsy occasionally lets fly as well.
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Dr. J.P. Higgins
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Internationally known sculptor Tom Sterling creates handles from semi-precious hardwoods, horn, antler and fossil ivories. Tom Sterling began a unique and award winning career in wood art by carving Japanese netsuke (pronounced net-skeh) as a mechanism for coping with the extreme stresses of an Air Force career flying F-111 fighter bombers (the “switchblade Edsel”). Netsuke is a unique form of small sculpture which developed as an art form in Japan over a period of more than three hundred years, serving both functional and aesthetic purposes. Over time, netsuke which started as a toggle used to stop the kimono cord from slipping, began to feature elaborate carving, lacquer work, and inlays of rare and exotic materials including ivory, wood, precious metals, shell, coral, and semiprecious stones. After retiring from the Air Force, he began carving netsuke professionally, becoming well known in the international circles of netsuke collectors. Now, branching out into producing art knives, his background in Japanese art reveals itself in a unique melding with the other past cultures that have caught his interest along the way. After taking up an offer from Dr. J.P. Higgins to learn flint knapping, Tom became fascinated with stone tools and he and Joe became collaborators making contemporary knapped knives.
While the majority of this team's work ends up cared for in collections, each work they create is designed to be completely useable. Construction methods typically use exposed or hidden tenons, pegs or other mechanical holding mechanisms as well as top grade fixatives to ensure a lasting, museum quality work of art.
