Nutcracker Museum July Newsletter
Jul 23Hi everyone, hope everybody is having a fantastic Summer! Just wanted to let everyone know The Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum’s July Newsletter features Nutcrackers carved in America and gives a short bio of each artist.
Low and behold, I’m one of the featured artists! That’s awesome!
Arlene did a great write up on me and I am absolutely thrilled to be featured in the newsletter. Here is what Arlene had to say:
“New on the scene and already a formidable competitor of the European carvers is Brandon Etto of Ohio. Brandon’s “Sea Horse” is the only non-European carving in a case of wildlife nutcrackers shown in the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, and it receives a steady stream of compliments. Next week an artfully carved “Snail” will be added to the case. You can see much of his unique work at www.ardoria.com.”
“Brandon’s talent is doubly important to nutcracker collectors for his repair work on antique nutcrackers is highly regarded. He has completed work for many of the well known collectors in both the United States and Europe. We entrusted a 16th century boxwood nutcracker to Brandon who replaced the missing bird on his head, a sign of nobility. We sent drawings and pictures of similar specimens for guidelines and we are extremely pleased with the results. You can see photos of this nutcracker being repaired on the March 2011 page on “what’s New” on the museum website. “
Here is a link to the July Newsletter. It has pictures of the Snail and Seahorse Nutcrackers that have a permanent home at the museum. Thanks again Arlene for the great newsletter and your support!
http://www.nutcrackermuseum.com/Newsletter4.htm
—– Brandon
2013 Nutcracker Collectors’ Club Convention – Day 2
Jul 15– Day 2 of the 2013 Nutcracker Collectors’ Convention
Day 2 of the Nutcracker Collectors’ Club Convention is usually a whirlwind and this year, it was no different. It started at the hotel with the club’s famous nutcracker show, sale, and auction. After the auction, the official club member’s meeting was held then any members who were interested were invited to go to Holden’s Arboretum to see Homer Jacob’s nutcracker collection.
The day finished with a fantastic meal at Dino’s Restaurant located in Mentor Ohio. Then we all said our farewells. It all went so fast that it’s all really over before you know it!
Pieces on display from Mike Pickwick’s collection.
Nutcracker Collectors’ Club show, sale, and auction
The pieces I brought to sell did real well at the auction.
Snail Nutcracker – Went to the Nutcracker Museum in Leavenworth
Greyhound Nutcracker (#3) – Went to a private collector in New Concord Ohio.
Skull Nutcracker (#4) – Went to a private collector in Ann Arbor Michigan.
— Holden’s Arboretum
The arboretum has a fantastic collection of nutcrackers that includes some very rare pieces. We were fortunate to be able to visit and have unrestricted access to the fantastic pieces Homer Jacob had collected. Rumor has it that the arboretum may be looking at selling off some of the pieces in the next couple of years.
Holden Arboretum – Homer Jacob’s Nutcracker Collection
Holden’s Arboretum had some great animal nutcrackers
Holden’s Arboretum also had 2 very rare House Nutcrackers
— Dino’s Restaurant in Mentor Ohio
The convention ended at Dino’s Restaurant in Mentor Ohio. We were all treated to a great Italian family style served meal. The Eggplant Parmesan was absolutely fabulous and hands down my favorite.
Dino’s Restaurant
Dino’s Party Room
— Parting Words
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. We had a great time and were very sad to have to say goodbye to old friends and new ones we made this year.
Next year’s convention is scheduled to be in Roswell New Mexico. Hmmmmm…. looks like I’d better start designing a cool flying saucer screw type nutcracker or two….. AWESOME!!!!!
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who bought my pieces and brought me pieces to repair this year! If you’re following this blog, keep an eye out for some fantastic pieces to be featured as I get them repaired and restored!
Again, if you are interested in joining The Nutcracker Collectors’ Club ($20/year domestic, $25/year international), contact Susan Otto at nutsue@roadrunner.com.
2013 Nutcracker Collectors’ Club Convention – Day 1
Jul 05A huge THANK YOU goes out to Susan and Dave Otto for hosting this year’s Nutcracker Collectors’ Club convention. The festivities started at Susan and Dave’s home on Friday evening in Chesterland Ohio where we got an up close hands on tour of Susan’s fantastic collection.
I’ve known Susan for a few years and her collection has grown by leaps and bounds both in quantity and quality. Everyone was truly in awe at all the great pieces she owns. It is a fantastic collection and I am very fortunate that she sends pieces over to my studio for touch ups and/or repairs to keep her collection in tip top shape. It really does help take her collection to that next level and keep it awe inspiring.
Susan’s nutcracker collection
Susan’s daughter Erica, who is a great cook like her mother, prepared and served appetizers and food throughout the evening with help from her boyfriend Lou. The food was incredible to the extent that everyone, including my wife, was asking for recipes.
After dinner Susan’s quick witted and talented friend Chris Welken played acoustic guitar and performed songs from his clever and amusing music CD, Modest Expectations, which we all got a copy of to take home as a souvenir. Chris is very entertaining and his performance made for a delightfully fun evening.
Chris jamming out!
My wife and I had a blast. We got to catch up with friends we met 2 years ago at Mike Pickwick’s convention in Connecticut and we got to make new friends at Susan’s. I really can’t say enough about all the great people in the club! If you are interested in joining, contact Susan Otto at nutsue@roadrunner.com.
Membership costs $20 a year for domestic subscriptions and $25 a year for international ones which includes a quarterly newsletter, master list of members, and an invitation to the annual Collectors’ Club Convention. The membership fee does not cover the cost of actually attending the convention; obviously this costs extra. Word has it, the 2014 convention will be held in Roswell New Mexico. That’s exciting!
Susan talking about nutcrackers
Coming soon! – My coverage of Day 2:
- The famous Nutcracker Collectors’ Convention members’ sale and auction
- The Nutcracker Collector’s Club meeting notes
- A visit to Holden’s Arboretum
- Dinner at Dino’s
Snail Nutcracker – Concept to reality
Jun 29A few posts back I posted pictures of an idea I had for a Snail Nutcracker that I sculpted in clay. I carved him out of Black Walnut and it came out great!
This piece was a huge hit at the 2013 Nutcracker Collector’s Convention. I’m proud to report that the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum curator, Arlene Wagner, bought it at the convention’s auction to be put on display at the museum and enjoyed by all who visit the museum.
I will be posting more on the 2013 Nutcracker Collector’s Convention soon. Stay tuned!
Snail concept sculpted in clay.
Black Walnut screw type Snail Nutcracker
French Nutcracker Restoration
Jun 16Here’s a great example of an 18th century French figural nutcracker. It’s from the Alsace Region and is made of Boxwood. I was so eager to start working on it, I forgot to get “before” pictures. It needed body cracks repaired, the front corner of the hat repaired, and a fresh coat of stain and finish. This piece really came out great and its owner was very happy with the restoration.
Details
Jan 04What a difference some dark stain and a satin finish will make.
Check out the before and after pictures to see how much it makes this piece pop!
I’ve done this on a number of pieces for customers and I’m still amazed at how big of a difference this makes in bringing out the details.
It truly is incredible and can immediately take a nice piece to the next level!
Dentistry
Dec 29This wild boar figural nutcracker was missing the left tusk and was in need of a refinish.
I made him a new tusk, fixed an older repair to his right ear, stained him a shade or two darker, and put a few coats of satin clear on him to make him look brand new again.
This piece came out looking great!
Sculpting
Nov 11I love to sculpt… period.
It’s relaxing and allows me to get ideas out of my head quickly. It also allows me to work out some of the issues with a design before putting a chisel to wood This is just one of the latest designs I hope to carve soon. It will be a screw type nutcracker and will be fun to put my lathe to good use on this one.
