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Contents: Joe Blatchford carving collection
JOE BLATCHFORD
Native Eskimo Artist, Alaska Joseph D. Blatchford Born August 22, 1940 Deceased February 4, 2009 in Anchorage, AK at the age of 68 Click to upsize and read his family's story below: Joe picked up whatever work he could once his family moved to Anchorage . At one point he worked for a roofing company, hot tarring roofs. He was on a roof carrying two pails of hot tar, when the roof gave way and he fell. The hot tar on the roof and in the buckets poured over him, literally melting his skin and melting his fingers together. We also got information from family members that Joe was involved in another unfortunate house fire with additional burns at an earlier time along with his best friend Ralph. After recovering, he designed a Dremel and other manual tools he could hold with his deformed hands to scrimshaw ivory and mammoth ivory to make artworks to sell. He was a very talented artist and Glenn collected whatever he could find of Joe's work then, and over the years since Glenn left Alaska.
There are two versions of his demise, we have not verified which one is correct as yet. One has him being hit as a pedestrian crossing the street in Seattle WA. The 2nd version comes from the Alaska Cook Inlet funeral services in Anchorage that he passed away from cancer. If link for the Cook Inlet Funeral Home below is not active, here are the details:
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These are framed photos of Joe Blatchford’s sketchbook pages. You can see these images throughout Joe’s finished work below. We are lucky to have them. | |||
There are no pieces for sale in this collection, they are for display purposes only. | |||
I AM ACTIVELY SEEKING ANY AND ALL TYPES OF JOE BLATCHFORD'S ARTWORK, BE IT CARVINGS, SCRIMSHAW, SKETCHBOOKS, TUSKS, AND ANY OTHER ITEMS THAT ARE LINKED DIRECTLY BACK TO JOE BLATCHFORD. Contact me at: sharkman1020@gmail.com with photos and a phone number
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The Story of Joe and Glenn
After Glenn met Joe in Anchorage (summer of 1995) at the Native Eskimo co-op where he worked and displayed his items for sale, he commissioned a large walrus tusk to be scrimmed by Joe. Then Glenn video taped the entire process of making this tusk a work of art. There is much more to this story that will be documented shortly. |
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Here is Joe and his wife Ruth in his workroom. He is holding a stand for a walrus tusk he is working on.
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Joe is working at his table scrimshawing the big tusk for Glenn, using sketches from his sketchbook | More of Joe working at his table on the tusk. Notice the interesting pieces around him. |
Typical photo of unstable piece of woolly mammoth ivory in the process of being stabilized by Joe | Joe with Glenn, holding the finished walrus tusk art work | A snapshot of Glenn in 1995 in Anchorage, the real "Mountain Man", in his big motor home, taking care of his wife Darel who is in the advanced stages of MS. This is when he bought the big tusk from Joe |
Three of Joe's masks for sale on the wall of his shop
and Joe holding two of them: |
Bolo ties made by Joe, hanging on the wall. Made with whale baleen, walrus ivory and mammoth ivory |
This is a woolly mammoth tusk carved by Joe, which is in storage at the Wells Fargo Bank building in Anchorage (you can ask to see it).
More photos of this in the Alaska travels page |
Photos of Ruth, and Ruth with Joe
and Joe |
MAMMOTH IVORY |
#AK-MAM-1 These two pieces of mammoth tusk ivory came from Joe as a gift from him, from his workroom.
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OOSIK |
Large walrus oosik, scrimmed with two simple (but colored) husky sled dog heads, with colored mountain background scene. Signed "Joe Blatchford". We believe this to be post-accident. Measures 21-1/2" following the curvature (21" linear) 1-3/4" diameter on largest end, x 2-1/4" across. Weight: 1 pound 8.6 oz.
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OSTRICH EGG |
#AK-OST-1 Glenn commissioned this ostrich egg to be scrimmed by Joe Blatchford when he was in Anchorage Alaska in 1995. Signed, and is on a horn tip stand
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SHARK |
AK-SHARK-2 This is a 2" modern great white shark tooth, top is black baked enamel, gold wired as a pendant. Scrimshaw work by Joe Blatchford (dyslexic, he signed it "LB" instead of "JB". Glenn is the one that gave him the tooth and commissioned the work from him to do this so we know it is Joe's work.
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SHIP |
#AK-SHIP-1 This piece remained in private hands in Alaska, until we purchased it in December 2016. What a special addition to the collection! Ship measures 9" tall x 18" long. Ship hull is 1.5" widest; sails max width 4". Weight: 2 pounds 9.6 ounces. This is the only ship we know of that Joe has made, made entirely of walrus ivory. Signed. |
JOE BLATCHFORD ART WORK
OWNED PRIVATELY |
CRIBBAGE BOARD (Karl) |
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TUSK MOUNT (Shawn) |
Weight: Approximately 10 pounds; tusks are 21" long.
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TUSK MOUNT (Ruy) |
His dad lived in Alaska a few years, and purchased this tusk mount while he was there. |
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