ALLEN STICHLER: CREATING A FAIRYTALE WONDERLAND…. IN HULL
In the sleepy streets of Cottingham, local artist Allen Stichler is causing quite a stir with the arrival of a unique form of art, literally, on their very doorsteps.
An old Beech tree has been magically revived with engravings of fairies, gnomes and elves that look like they have sprung directly from the pages of an Arthur Rackham storybook. Stichler has been working on this piece for three weeks, diligently chiselling every detail by hand and bringing each creature to life one at a time. Painstakingly trivial, this piece is still nowhere near its completion.
Having carved a career out of his craft for five years now, Allen feels that it was something that was just ‘meant to be’ after his life unexpectedly changed course. Formerly a warehouse manager, he discusses how this unusual talent came to light; ‘I was made redundant, we got flooded, we had family illness, I was ill and I just decided to go out and buy a chisel.’
He sold his first piece of work to a neighbour, and then says it ‘just snowballed from there.’ Allen met with Jackie Lomax (Hull’s original tree carver and a ‘well known character’), and decided that after Lomax’s retirement, it was his job to keep the artistry alive and fresh; ‘It’s our tradition I suppose, and this job is keeping the tradition going. There aren’t many of us about – it’s all hairy men with chainsaws now!’
Allen’s main ambition however, is to use his passion to create unique works of art for his customers, simply turning the dreams of this particular customer who ‘always wanted fairies at the end of her garden’ into reality. Remaining humble since receiving unusual amounts of publicity after appearing in the Hull Daily Mail, Allen simply remarks; ‘Everybody wants to talk to you, it’s great – that means as much to me as the actual carving!’
His hope is that more people will have the opportunity to make a career out of their skill, since Hull won the City of Culture 2017 Award and more money is now being dedicated to the arts. So far however, Allen admits that he doesn’t feel the award has made the effort to reach out to freelance artists like himself. He says that part of the joy of the job is the pleasure it brings to the community; ‘I mean what people round here have enjoyed is seeing someone do something! You don’t often see arty types doing something on your doorstep – I suppose it’s a bit elitist isn’t it, art?’
Only time will tell what impact the City of Culture award will have, but until then, let’s hope we see more ‘arty types’ like Allen springing up and working their magic on our doorsteps.
Allen regularly holds wood carving workshops in North Cave, East Yorkshire throughout the year. Each workshop takes place over three consecutive Saturdays and are scheduled to be held on the 15th, 22nd and 29th March or the 5th, 12th and 19th April. For more information on workshops, or to view Allen’s portfolio and products available to buy, visit www.stichler.co.uk.
Article by Grace Wood for The Hullfire
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