Father-son duo excelling in niche art, spreading gifts locally and nationally
Bob Guge first learned how to carve wood from his father’s hobby of carving hunting decoys. His son Josh followed suit, developing a passion for woodcarving.
Now a father himself, it looks like Josh’s 2-year-old son Kage will do the same.
“He (Kage) comes in and watches. And for the past couple of months, he’s been carving,” Josh Guge said. “He’s grown up watching me and the students do it.”
Such is the situation of having a studio at home. But that is the case of Josh Guge, a third-generation wood carver running the Guge Institute of Wildlife Art, with help from his father, out of his Gilberts home. Both Josh and Bob are renown wood carvers who travel all over to teach their techniques to others.
Bob, a five-time world champion at the Ward World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition, first pondered starting a woodcarving business after realizing his talents were above average.
“I ended up doing pretty well with my work,” Bob Guge said. “I started getting an interest to make some money out of it. And business went pretty well.”
He said starting the business in the late ’70s didn’t hurt, as interest in wildlife art was very popular at the time. In that period, Guge’s work caught the attention of a very young Josh, one of eight children.
“He started the business right around the time I was born,” Josh Guge said. “That got me started in my dad’s interests.”
Part of an art-oriented family, Josh is now a world champion carver, too. In 2009, Josh won titles in miniature and life-size fish carving at the World Fish Carving Championships.
Growing up in a carving family helped Josh follow his father’s footsteps. Now, both travel nationally, even globally, promoting the niche art. Josh said he has no problem traveling with his father.
“It works pretty well because we offer more help as a team, and each one of us has different strengths that complement each other,” Josh Guge said.
Back in Gilberts, both Guges teach students. Here, Bob said, students can learn more about wildlife art by “going from a block of wood to a very detailed finished product.”
“We let the students decide what they want to work on,” Bob Guge said. “It’s a hobby for all ages. It’s something younger people may not have the time to do, but it’s something that older people will say they wish they started sooner.”
Laura Guge, Josh’s wife, can see that interest in her son. She said while Kage may be interested in carving, that may not be the case for his future sister, whom Laura is expected to give birth to this fall.
“If my kids are not into woodcarving, I wouldn’t be surprised another artistic talent shows up,” Laura Guge said. “My husband’s side of the family is so artistically gifted, while mine is more into sports.”
Whatever happens will be up to the kids, added Josh. Just because he followed in his father’s footsteps doesn’t mean his son or daughter may do the same.
“My dad, he never pushed us to do those things,” Josh Guge said. “But he was there to help us with our artistic genes. If my kids decide they’re into this stuff, I’ll help them, but I’m not going to force them.”
“Josh and his dad, they made it work,” Laura said. “Carving is a whole different world. It’s an own separate art that is difficult to fully explain.”
For details on classes offered, visit gugeinstitute.com or call (224) 629-0581.