According to a secret source known only as Deep Cyberthroat, the highest price paid for a Stradivarius violin was more than $15 million in 2011. The source also revealed a rocking chair made by Sam Maloof, a graphic-artist-turned-woodworker, sold for $15,000 not long after his death in 2009.
Why am I telling you this? Because art, to be crass, is an excellent investment. But more than that, a finely crafted instrument or one-of-a-kind piece of furniture, can be the wow factor that interior designers strive for in renovations.
And when it comes to renovations, Manitoba is a hot market because the province has one of the oldest housing stocks in Canada. A small reno can cost $80,000 or more; a large job can surpass $500,000. Considering this, the purchase of a handmade item might represent less than one per cent of the budget. Not too shabby for a family heirloom that will impart years of pleasure, not to mention a bountiful return on the original investment when the impoverished artist takes a dirt nap.
Which brings us to the topic of musical instruments: If you think custom-crafted instruments are not objets d' art, take a trip to the National Music Museum in Vermillion, S.D., and spend a day enjoying the extensive collection. Among the pieces is one of two mandolins known to exist built by Stradivarius in 1680. During a recent trip to the museum, the fascinating instrument caught the eye of Manitoba master luthier Fred Casey who became so engrossed by it that "my wife had to drag me away from the display case."
Casey, a classically trained guitarist who sells his stringed instruments throughout the world, was so impressed by the mandolin he decided to build an eight-string ukulele called the Strad, based on the famous mandolin.
"I was building ukuleles at the time, hence my copy of the Stradivarius is tuned like a ukulele, but it can also be re-stringed to sound like a mandolin, adding clarity to the sound, which I like," said Casey, adding the Strad is built of Sitka spruce, curly maple, mahogany and East Indian rosewood.
Casey sells his prototype instruments for $800, a gift when you consider you are buying a piece of art hand-crafted by a luthier whose guitars are owned by famous musicians and at least one museum: a smaller travel guitar was recently added to Puerto Rico's Tiple museum collection.
Whether or not you can play a stringed instrument, the beauty of the wood and the intricate detailing that define his pieces place them into the sphere of fine art, a perfect wow factor for any renovation. www.cfcaseyguitars.com.
Another Manitoba luthier of exceptional talent is Larry Fisher, best known for his Irish harps, which are in big demand by musicians in the Emerald Isle.
"I started my career by working with local Appalachian dulcimer-maker Dennis Waring who was very generous with his time and advice," said Fisher.
Originally a graphic artist, Fisher embellished his first harps with hand-drawn Celtic designs, "a big hit with the harpists who purchased them, but, at the same time, a big drain on my wallet as I was spending so much time on the art work that I couldn't sell the instruments at a profit."
Fisher decided to limit his portfolio to four designs that didn't include laborious art work.
He eventually discovered about 90 per cent of the orders for his harps were for his 48-inch tall Eireann design. He decided to build only that instrument, eliminating the need to re-jig his workshop just to fill a single order.
The change in production strategy worked wonders for Fisher's business, allowing him to increase his output substantially and fill a backlog of orders from Canada and the U.S.
"My best form of advertising has been word of mouth. I didn't consciously try to sell my harps to Irish players; they came knocking at my door. Now I travel to Ireland once a year to meet owners of my instruments and to attend musical events that feature the enchanting music of Eire."
He also began to study the technical aspects of harps, finding the best woods for soundboards such as white cedar, yellow and western red cedar and some types of spruce for players who prefer a harp with larger, higher-tension strings.
His completed instruments stand alone as works of art, featuring woods such Hawaiian koa, curly maple and cherry, quilted maple, and figured walnut, all hand-finished with a water-based, hand-rubbed lacquer.
The finely wrought curves of the neck and column pillar (support for neck) give Fisher's harps a unique look that reflects his back ground as a graphic artist.
It's easy to imagine such a striking instrument, plucked or not, as a spotlighted centrepiece in a freshly renovated house. www.fisherharps.com.
If you're searching for a one-of-a-kind piece furniture or custom cabinet, then have a look at Keith Oliver's website (www.keitholiver.com).
A former lecturer at the University of Manitoba's School of Art, Oliver started his career as a wood and metal sculptor.
"I soon discovered that metal was a dirty, grimy medium in which to work, so I chose woodworking instead," said Oliver.
His interest in wood sculpture led him to pursue furniture design with an emphasis on extraordinary craftsmanship and unusual yet functional pieces.
"Most of my work will include solid wood as well as sheets of figured veneer panels, though occasionally I will incorporate glass or some other material into my pieces."
Oliver's work is clean of line and beautifully proportioned, due to his artist's eye.
His Katydid Cabinet is a remarkable combination of form and function, featuring ebonized solid wood legs and a quarter-cut anigre veneered cabinet with two lower drawers and an upper cupboard.
Oliver has also created some inspired home renovations, including custom kitchen and living room cabinets as well as one-of-a-kind chairs, coffee tables and bedroom furniture. Much of his work is inspired by nature and natural forms.
His work has been displayed at art shows throughout Canada; his prices at about $1,800 for a hand-made piece are inexpensive considering the quality of his work.
"What Winnipeg needs is a show place for contemporary furniture makers. The Manitoba Craft Council used to have a gallery with sufficient space to show furniture, but it folded a few years ago and hasn't been replaced," said Oliver.
Robert Strate is a woodworker who admits to having an addiction to wood, specifically salvaged wood.
"My wife threatened me with a family intervention when she saw me cutting down my neighbour's tree," said Strate, who lives in Landmark.
He especially likes Manitoba maple, oak and ash that have been cut close to the root where the most highly figured wood is found.
In his Landmark shop, Strate shows an enormous slab of oak that was recovered from a tree cut down because it was interfering with the foundation of a house.
Aside from the beautiful creams, tans, blacks and other earth tones that contribute to the slab's beauty, stuck in the middle of the piece is a brick that was engulfed by the root at some point in the past.
"I haven't decided what to build from this fascinating piece of wood, but I will definitely leave the brick in place," he said.
Though he will use a chainsaw, Strate prefers a hand saw to cut open large pieces because "chainsaws waste a lot of wood."
When it comes to flattening wide surfaces, a hand plane and a rasp are preferable to a power planer; he has also built a jig for his router "that can level wood with only a few dozen passes."
With 30 years' experience in the building trade in Manitoba and the Arctic -- he was doing his own woodwork at night -- Strate said at age 50 he decided to make the leap from construction to full-time wood artist.
"I wanted to do something creative that hopefully people will appreciate when I've moved on," he said, adding one of his pieces was created from oak trees that had to be removed from a property where a house was being renovated.
"I made the tree into a series of stacked bowls that are prominently displayed in the living room of the house. The kids love to count the growth rings and one family member has already placed first dibs on the piece when the time comes."
He began to try new sculptural designs on reclaimed and salvaged hardwoods, but soon came to the realization the pieces were beautiful on their own.
One of his series called Spirit Tables includes Wandering Spirit, a sculptural piece of reclaimed oak and birch, with two oval table tops supported by two split legs and stretchers that pierce a shaped block that forms two more legs.
Summer Storm and Mystic Wind, also part of the Spirit Table series, are constructed with a somewhat similar base, though each has its own characteristics: Summer Storm of salvaged beech, birch and oak, and Mystic Wind of reclaimed birch, both feature tops that suggest birds or birds' wings.
Strate's Bonsai Table is an amalgamation of "back-alley ash," maple, oak and Manitoba birch. This spectacular coffee table is a piece of fine sculpture, as well as functional art that will add a wow factor to any home, renovated or otherwise.
Strate all so carves bowls, makes chest tables including hand-carved pieces and, not to waste material, creates unique jewellery boxes from wood he can't bear to throw away. Call 1-204-355-4248 or www.spenderwoodwork.com.
