Norm Sartorius - Ditch Digger

Ditch Digger – Black Walnut Stump - 14.5 x 14 x 4.5 - 2014 – Artist Collection. One of the most personal sculptures I've carved. In the early 1980s my grandfather passed away at 103. He was quite a character and we always got along well. Before my family sold his property I asked if I could remove a walnut tree in his yard. They gave me permission and I had the tree taken down and the stump dug up. Ditch Digger is a reference to something my father often said to me when I was a young man, "I don't care what you do but even if you become a ditch digger, I want you to be the best ditch digger. This piece was made for my father who did not live to see my success as a wood artist. Carving is my ditch digging. Photo: Jim Osborn

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