Dudley Carter: Tales of the Legendary Wood Sculptor

Book Synopsis: The inspirational story of a Canadian American pioneering logger and timber cruiser who, having nurtured his artistic genius amid the ancient forests and indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest, carved giant cedars into epic works of art.“. . . a lively and loving portrait of the great Northwest master, capturing the life and work of an artist as powerful as the ancient forests from which he drew his strength and inspiration." Leonard Garfield, Executive Director, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle

In 1932 Dudley Christopher Carter, a forty-year-old mini Paul Bunyan, literally hewed his way out of the forest primeval and into the sophisticated world of art. Carter’s first experiment in monumental wood sculpture, Rivalry of the Winds, inspired by a legend important to the Northwest Coast Duwamish people, was purchased by the Seattle Art Museum.

Born into a pioneering logging family in 1891, as a teen Dudley lived with his family among the Kwakiutl people at Alert Bay in British Columbia. There he acquired a deep appreciation for Native art and culture. That appreciation is readily apparent in many of the fine works Dudley created over his lifetime.

In 1947 Carter was the subject of a Life magazine article and a Paramount Pictures film. Reams of newspaper articles about the artist appeared over the years. His fame and reputation continued to grow, and by the 1970s he had amassed a reputation as a fine artist who commanded lucrative commissions for dozens of public art projects and private collections throughout western North America. At the age of 96, Dudley Carter was named the first ever artist in residence for Washington State’s King County Parks. Carter’s prolific career spanned six enthralling decades, ending in 1992 when he died at the age of 100 with dozens of works still in progress.

Dudley Carter: Tales of the Legendary Wood Sculptor combines hundreds of photographs of his works with over fifty fascinating stories about him. Dudley’s family, friends, notable fellow artists, architects, journalists, historians, patrons, business magnates, educators—people whose lives were impacted by their personal association with Dudley or by their connection to some of his works—recount his illustrious century-long life, a life that was undoubtedly his finest masterpiece.

Praise for Dudley Carter: Tales of the Legendary Wood Sculptor“Lambert and Sikkema’s tribute to Dudley Carter is a lively and loving portrait of the great Northwest master, capturing the life and work of an artist as powerful as the ancient forests from which he drew his strength and inspiration. More than biography, more than anthology, Dudley Carter is a tapestry woven of many voices and stories, richly illustrated with the works of Carter and brought vividly to life through the memories of family, friends and fellow artists, many themselves Northwest legends.Dudley Carter reminds us that Carter’s gift lies not just in his monumental sculpture or graceful carvings but also in his singular ability to capture in physical form the enduring and ethereal spirit of the Northwest itself. Dudley Carter: Tales of the Legendary Wood Sculptor is the perfect coda to a revered Northwest original, whose work uniquely connected ancient traditions, modern cultures, and personal visions in a legacy that has no equal.” Leonard Garfield, Executive Director, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle Read more