December 4, 2003
Wood carver’s works make perfect holiday gifts
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In Trythall’s hands Santa takes on many forms. There are traditional red-suited Santas carrying sacks of goodies, Santas in cowboy hat and boots, Santas with poinsettias or bells carved into their backs, and Santas carrying evergreen branches. Working out of a shop at his home on the Eastside, Trythall creates the figures that range in size from 5 to 18 inches tall; most sell for $45 to $150.
And though we’re now into prime selling season for those with holiday products, Trythall isn’t looking for customers. “I’m back ordered all the way through next Christmas,” he says.
How did he get so involved with Santa Claus? Believe it or not, it all began with a kit. Twelve years ago Trythall went to a wood carving show and came home with a kit that included a piece of wood, a pattern for carving a Santa and a knife. He’s been making Santas ever since.
“The first ones were pretty crude,” Trythall says. “Then when I got better at it I started doing a bunch of them as gifts for my boss and co-workers. They became very popular and it’s just kind of evolved from there.”
Before long Trythall was producing perhaps 25 or 30 Santas during the course of a year and bringing them to the office to sell in November. Then collectors stepped in, buying one or two every year. Now the enterprise is self-perpetuating. “I thought about creating a Web site but I didn’t know how I would manage to fulfill all the orders I got,” Trythall says.
Not that he’s making lots of money. Trythall figures he winds up working for about $5 an hour to produce his carvings, but then, carving has never been about money for him. It’s more like a return to his true passion in life. He studied art at Montana State University but got a degree in design to make himself more employable. Following graduation he went to work in the contract furniture business, doing primarily space planning.
But as the years passed Trythall moved away from art and design-related jobs and into real estate management because it was more lucrative. He spent 12 years with a company called Data IO, doing lease deals all over the world. It was while he was working there that he picked up that carving kit.
“You don’t make money doing art,” he says. “But I think if you’re an artist, it’s something inside that drives you. It’s a passion; you have that need, that creative fire to do something.”
In recent years he’s branched out from Santas into wizards. Using a model similar to the one for his Santas, he produces some wizards cloaked in the traditional stars and moon-covered robe. Others are more original. He has one, for example, whose cloak is covered with dragonfly shapes. And another wears feathers on his. The latter was inspired by a crow feather Trythall found on Red Square; he encased the feather in the figure’s base.
The wizards, Trythall says, are about magic. “To me there’s a lot of magic in the universe, so I use these little guys to bring that to people’s attention.”
Trythall had a chance to bring his art to a wider audience in 2002 when the Winter Olympics came to Salt Lake City. A friend of his who sells carving equipment asked him to do a carving for the Olympics. The piece was not to be part of an “official” display and therefore couldn’t carry any Olympic symbols, so Trythall tried to think of what would capture the spirit of the games. He ended up including the dove of peace and carving the world on the figure’s lower portion. He covered the back with snowflakes.
Although he carved the figure before the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Trythall felt it was very appropriate for the Olympic games that occurred so soon afterward. The piece was displayed in a Salt Lake City hotel and sold for $900, the second most he’s ever made on a single piece (one other sold for $1,000). “But when I add up all the time I spent on it, I still only made $5 an hour,” he says with a laugh.
Trythall carves his figures out of linden wood. It’s a light, cream-colored wood that is tight-grained and easy to carve. Some figures emerge freeform and others are more carefully planned with preliminary drawings. Trythall says he’s “not a purist” and is willing to use whatever tool is convenient to get the form he wants, including power tools. In his detailing work, for example, he uses a high-speed air turbine that’s similar to a dentist’s drill. Painting is done with an acrylic wash.
The work consumes most of his evenings and part of nearly every weekend, so it’s fortunate that Trythall’s wife is supportive. In fact, she’s learned to do some of the painting.
By day Trythall is back in a job that does make some use of his design skills. He’s been the guiding force behind the Space Information Management System (SIMS), a computerized program that weds geographic information system software and building plans to give University managers a dynamic tool for managing the space they are responsible for. He’s been in the job for eight years.
During that time his art has evolved, and now he’s moving toward doing sculptures that combine his figures with crystals.
“I enjoy the Santas because they’re a common denominator across many groups of people,” Trythall says. “But I feel I’ve got some stuff left to say while I’m still here. I’m trying to be open enough to allow it to evolve.”
