John Durham – Wild Goose Galleries Press Release

“ The Love of all Things Old “

John Durham is a serious pack rat. Here is an artist who salvages pieces of wood he finds in old barns, dilapidated sheds ,construction sites, and objects that you and I would probably turn up our noses at. He collects from these ruins and saves them for future use.

Fortunately for the now 68 year old artist, his love for hording old stuff has translated into a project, a cause,a passion of life and his livelihood.

So you wonder, what does he do with these old wood pieces and treasured finds ? He turns them into, of all things, one of a kind creative birdhouses. Now, they are not functional, at least as far as our featured friends are concerned. But all one has to do is look at them to fall in love with them. And want to own one.

His love for birds was evident with his first painting as a child, a swan. Even his studio And business is named after a bird. Wild Goose Studio is now located on Highway 65 North just outside of Clinton, Arkansas. There he pieces together the houses that incorporate everything from door knobs, pieces of glass, window frames, metal parts, old buttons, in fact, whatever looks aesthetically pleasing to his eye. The pieces are fluid, every add on looks like it belongs there. The houses are in all shapes and sizes,some are 3 feet tall and even taller, others tiny, some are odd shaped. But they all have a common bond in that they are all put together with old objects and an old soul.

Recently he was awarded by The National Wildlife Association an award.Has appeared on KATV,the evening News at KTHV,worked with Tom Brandon with the Cereal Drive,featured in The Arkansas Democrat,work displayed at The Presidential Clinton Museum,First Lady Ginger Beebe has one of his art pieces,featured from time to time with John Cain with KABF radio, and offers a great talk to any club requesting his story.

“ Everything he does pertains to wood almost, “ the soft spoken artist said one time in an interview with Georganne Beck and Christine Weiss “ I build from recycled thrown away materials,found objects, woodwork from primitive things, old shutters….whatever I can get my hands on. “

When the tornado hit the Historical District in Little Rock Arkansas, John was there picking up broken pieces and saving them for his work.Plus in the one that traveled 126 miles throughout Arkansas starting in Atkins,through Clinton and into Mtn View,he was their with creating to helped to raise money for the area. So even in devastation, work can be created to help instead of destroying and ending up in land fills.

Although born in the Natural State, he spent most of his life in Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast . Living in the Bayou State truly proved to be a real benefit As he began his work. In fact, he started in The French Quarters working as a child entertaining tourist after leaving Vicksburg and a wonderful lady that raised him for awhile. His first tornado experience was the one that hit downtown Vicksburg in 1954 at The Strand Theatre.

He studied psychology and sociology in college, but never used it as far as his career,well not quit..he was concerned. He once told me that, “ I am lucky in that I have always done what I wanted to do, which is my art and live a life with a little adventure so I could tell stories.”

New Orleans is truly a great place for what is called the “ street people “ to hustle their wares and work. Art is big their and people are very receptive to it. He was a regular at the New Orleans Jazz Festival where he sold his folk art and paintings.

One of his neat trips was to New York and San Francisco as a teen ager one Summer working his way.That’s another story a little later.

He returned to Arkansas in 1994 and landed in Hot Springs because of a dream a lady had shared with him in the Quarters while he was a Café du Monte, a famous Coffee House in JacksonSquare. That particular day e was with three well known people,one that just ran for US Senate and lost but created a National Organization in Washington,DC that he served on the Board of Directors.

That dream involved, “two fig trees and a house”

In Hot Springs,their he found a huge circa 1900 old boarding house on Spring and Reserve Street that had over 4800 square feet and some 14 rooms with four carriage stalls and a walk in attic that could seat some 40 people. There he turned it into an artist’s colony. He worked almost six years on the old place and believe it was a part of Arkansas history. So with his efforts and never giving up, he worked with Roger Giddens, the National Park Director and proved to The National Registry of Historical
Places that it was important.

Today it is listed in Washington and Arkansas as such a place. And then because of that, he received an award from the US Senate, The President and The Governor of Arkansas.

Now here’s the Magic of The Dream,the lady shared with him,in the back yard was the two fig trees.That house changed his life and lead him on an even more awesome journey.

Anyone that has met him, will tell you he is a nice guy. In addition to being the father of three great children, Michael Todd, Sean Taylor and Tasha d’sha.

This nice whimsical guy is and has been very civic minded in several projects. He is right in the thick of it when it comes to giving time and art to various charities or causes. He has donated to The Arts Council, Garland County for Habitat, Second Chance, Homeless Society, Hot Springs Jazz Society, The State Food Banks,Meals on Wheels,March of Dimes,The American Cancer,Ozark Music Festival and the Hot Springs Music Festival and many more different silent auctions.

Just once upon hearing that over 100 old windows from a bath house in Hot Springs would be taken to the dump, he rolled up his sleeves, intercepted the plan and saved them.Today they are restored and sit in several homes as decoration pieces. Beautiful and functional windows that would of have landed in a dump fill, now serves two purposes.

His helping hands knows no borders either. In Mississippi, when he found out that some 600 old school desk were being trashed, he managed to salvage half of them.With donated paint and time from students, the desks were repaired, sand blasted,painted and then sold in order to benefit art teachers with more funds for projects.

After the hurricane that hit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, he traveled to salvage to help out an area, he loves so much. He even received an award from the Governor for Culture, History and Tourism for his work with his clean up endeavors.

His work and involvement makes a small mark on the environment. Recently he was involved with the Arkansas Recycle Expo for Better Living that was at The Expo Center.

He truly looks at a pile of wood; then piddles with it; you might find him digging in trash bends behind some buildings to see if he can find that particular piece wondering how it will look or turn out.

You can find his birdhouses and artistic greeting cards at several places in
Arkansas and a three state area or you can stop at his Studio just outside of Clinton or a great conversation and say “ Hi “.. He is a nice guy and truly has a “love of all things old.”

Check him out on the Web GOOGLE: WildGooseUSA and you just might find him in several places and visit his web site www.wildgooseusa.com. He is also trying to create a Blog, Newsletter and Guestbook.

Write him at Wild Goose Studio 1888 Hwy 65 North Clinton, Arkansas 72031 or email him at wildgoosestudio@yahoo.com

You might even find a great cup of coffee from New Orleans in the coffee pot..