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 Alan Carr is
originally of San Angelo, Texas. He left the dry plains of West
Texas to pursue a career in naval aviation. Carr's twenty-five year
career as a naval pilot took him around the world. He called
Florida, Maryland, Virginia, California and Naples, Italy, home
during those years.
During Carr's
early years in San Angelo, his exposure to woodworking was confined
to the construction of class D unlimited hydroplanes. While
traveling the world in the Navy, he found time to build several
pieces of furniture for his family. Some of these designs were
adapted for easier packing for the many moves the family made.
On Alan's retirement from the Navy, he moved the family to
Fredericksburg, Texas. Faced with the perennial dilemma of what to
make for Christmas presents for his two daughters, he and his wife
spent many nights of discussion. An idea began to develop - a horse,
of course
The "Native Texan" series of hand-sculptured horses and Western
wildlife are solely Al's creation. He choses to sculpt
entirely out of Western hardwoods. The vast majority of his work is
in mesquite. This is his favorite because of its fickle grain, tight
burl and rock-hard density. Mesquite's many attributes like
dimensional stability, outweigh its craggy composure and
imperfections
Al has "reintroduced" techniques used by craftsmen in the late
1800's to create the famous "safety glider and Victorian rocking
horses". His subject matter is "one-of-a-kind" representations of an
actual animal - down to the individual coloration, breed, brand and
birthmarks. Developed through a series of sketches,
graph-proportions and templates, the final designs are then
transferred to wood so that the grain is highlighted. Many layers of
wood are laminated together to form the rough body of the animal.
Traditional hand chisels and gouges are used to create the body
proper. Then he gradually smooths the muscles with hand rasps,
scrapers and hours of sanding. An epoxy clay made from crushed ivory
may be inlayed into the wood to simulate the natural white stockings
and blazes. The final tung oil finish is burnished with rootenstone
and given a coat of paste wax. The horses sport real horsehair manes
and tails and prosthetic quality glass eyes.
Each horse is
fitted with a custom hand-tooled replica "Concho" saddle which Al's
grandfather designed and made famous over 100 years ago. The saddle
is made to his design and specifications, starting with a wooden
saddle tree. Each saddle is hand-cut, stamped and stitched of the
finest steer leather available and serialized to match the horse.
"Native Texan" is
a unique Western tradition. These horses will not only bring
pleasure and fun for all of this generation but also for the
generations who follow.
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