OACG Featured Member:
Don Mars - Ohio Woodworking Artist
Woodwork Artist & Crafter Don Mars
While working as a graphic artist for an advertising company, I dabbled in woodworking as a hobby.
In 1978, I began making small wooden faces out of scrap lumber left over from crafts I had been making. Using my own ideas and imagination, my faces began to grow arms and legs, then ski poles and golf clubs! It wasn’t long until my faces had evolved into complete characters depicting sports, occupations, and hobbies. In time, I began improving my methods of making my characters.
I began doing craft shows locally, but soon realized that my characters were really catching on. I decided to travel on the show circuits and make and sell my characters full time. At each show, my customers would always ask me for styles that I didn’t have, so I would constantly be adding more to the list! Beginning with 12 styles, I now have 232!
Seeing my display with all of the different styles has always fascinated shoppers. They will stop and look through them and most likely find 3 or 4 they would like to have for their family and friends.
After doing craft shows for years (in more than 400 cities), I got off the road and began selling my characters in premium art shows and in stores and gift shops. This gave me more time to devote to my product and enabled me to improve the way that I make them.
All of my characters are my own original designs and are made exclusively by me. My wooden characters are made of white and yellow pine with an assortment of hardwood parts. They are about 6" to 7" tall and stand on a 6"x 3.5" base. Each character is cut, drilled, routed, sanded, burned, assembled, stained and lacquered by me. I have a unique logo that is burned into the back of each body and a printed tag that tells a brief story about the product. I use a solvent-free latex stain and waterborne lacquer (with added mulberry scent) to finish my products. At my shows, I can personalize each character with the customer’s name. I also demonstrate my craft by making and assembling various parts for my product.
In 2010, I added a new and very entertaining feature to my shows - my mobile workshop! This has been quite the attraction for everyone attending the events. With my workshop, I am able to create pieces and parts for my characters from start to finish, right in front of everyone’s eyes.
Last year, I also won the top award for demonstration at the Yankee Peddler Today Festival with my mobile workshop. My standard show set-up fits in a 10x10 space suitable for showing and selling my wares and assembling parts for my characters.
Don is a resident of Uniontown, OH, and a member of the Ohio Arts and Crafts Guild. He can be reached at 330-699-3724 or donmarz@att.net.
If you are an Ohio Arts & Crafts Guild member and would like to be a Featured Artist, please e-mail Guild Manager or call the OACG office at 330-456-0477. Featured Artists are also spotlighted in the OACG newsletter Creative Ohio.
The Arts are ALIVE in Ohio!
Support the visual arts by becoming a member of the Ohio Arts & Crafts Guild. Established in 1963, the OACG is a non-profit service and informational organization representing practicing artists and craftspeople at all levels of achievement: amateurs, professionals, and students. Our membership represents people of all ages and walks of life who appreciate and support the arts and crafts. In addition, the Guild promotes the future of arts and crafts by awarding annual scholarships to Ohio high school and college art students.