With Chisel In Hand: It's raining again -- lots of dark skies and blue days -- so I've been trying to concentrate on things that make me smile. Will Kautz' American Folk Art woodcarvings make me smile. I'm drawn to his artistic sense of humor. And his life story is truly inspirational.
Will's father, William Charles Kautz was a fine artist in New York and creativity was an important part of Will's home environment. He remembers sculpting marble beside his dad when he was still a boy. But as a young man, Will was often torn between a drive to be creative and a desire to do something for the vulnerable in society. In 1980, he entered seminary and earned a M.A. in theology and ethics and was later appointed as a Research Fellow at Yale University. In 1985 he began full-time law school with a young family and no money. At this time, Will began to carve. Initially, he hoped merely to pay a few tuition bills with whatever he could earn from his art, but within a few weeks, his designs began to sell a quickly as he could produce them. The first year law student would study by day and carve by night. Three years later, Will completed law school and passed the Vermont bar exam. For the next ten years, Will maintained a volunteer law practice for victims of domestic violence while supporting his family with his art. Through the years, Will has sold his work to numerous galleries and collectors around the world. His art has been displayed at the Museum of American Folk Art, the Shelburne Museum and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. He has been chosen by Early American Homes magazine for its annual Director of America's Best Traditional Craftsmen, and is a juried member of traditionalfolkart.com.
