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magazine / so06
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September/October 2006 issue |
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MOSAIC
Folk heroes
Photography by Dale Wilson
Years ago, when he was trying to quit smoking, Ransford Naugler (above,
in his Camperdown, N.S., workshop), channelled his energy into a
block of white pine. The result, Smoked Cod, has become one of his
signature pieces. "I felt like a fish out of water," says Naugler, who worked aboard a
fishing boat for 15 years before becoming one of Nova Scotia’s premier folk artists.
Most folk art is not intended for interpretation, says Inge Hatton, owner of
The Spotted Frog Folk Art Gallery in Lunenburg, N.S. "It’s an art form that takes
us away from the reality of life," she says. "It’s not intended to be real — it’s
intended to appeal."
Naugler came upon folk art almost by accident, when he noticed that a piece from
his woodpile looked a lot like a beaver. "I took a knife to it," he says, "and at the end
of it, I had a beaver." That was 20 years ago. Since then, Naugler’s brothers Bradford
and Leo have taken up what has become a family trade. "We ain’t
trained nohow," says Bradford. "We just do what our mind tells us to."
— Patricia D’Souza
For the rest of this story, visit your local newsstand or go to our store to buy this issue.
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