All Dogs Go to Heaven: An exclusive Interview with Celebrated Vermont Artist Stephen Huneck

Stephen Huneck is the Leonardo da Vinci of dog art. He is equally adept at illustration, print making, sculpture and building custom-made furniture. Huneck is best known for his seven books about the adventures of his beloved black Lab, Sally. The books transcend the usual children's literature genre and transport the reader via gorgeous woodcut prints into the inner world of a dog blessed with a penchant for big fun.

Huneck's latest projects include ambitious and large-scale furniture that will be on display at the newly-opened Stephen Huneck Gallery in Stowe, Vermont (802-253-9413). One of the most intriguing pieces in the gallery is a liquor cabinet that's built into the sculpted torso of two nuns. Suffice it to say there's a story behind this work of sardonic genius: "I went to parochial school for a few years and my experience wasn't the greatest," said Huneck. "The nuns would give me notes to bring home to my parents. I couldn't read the notes, but I was smart enough to rip them up and throw them away."  From this early struggle with Catholic school came a work of sculpture that would make Salvador Dali -- another devout Catholic -- pleased as punch.

Huneck's talent lies with his technical skill as a carpenter and woodworker. One of the great things about his gallery in Stowe is that its ample natural lighting will allow these superb furnishings and carvings to be viewed in ideal surroundings.

David Jaqua, owner of the Huneck Gallery in Stowe, is an ardent admirer of these unique furnishings. "I think people know Stephen Huneck for his print images-the books he has written are very well regarded, but not as many collectors are aware that he is a brilliant furniture designer," said Jaqua. "My goal in owning this gallery is to find a way to promote Stephen's design ability and to work with clients who want furnishings that are designed and built to Stephen's exacting specifications. The gallery in Stowe is the place to view and acquire his hand-crafted furniture designs."

APOCALYPSE NOW

All of his brilliant furniture would never have seen the light of day if not for his amazing recovery from an attack of Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome in 1994, and again in 2007. Huneck came out of a two-month coma in '94 and had to relearn how to walk, write, draw and even sign his name. From this brink-of-death experience Huneck embarked on the highly-acclaimed "Sally" book series, and also decided to build The Dog Chapel on his Dog Mountain property in St. Johnsbury. "The Dog Chapel is a place where people can go and celebrate the spiritual bond they have with their dogs," said Huneck. "It's the largest artwork of my life and my most personal."

Here is a recent interview with Huneck, one of the most talented and sensitive American artists of his generation. Stephen Huneck is always in touch with nature and the natural order, and I've no doubt that St. Francis would have loved and admired his work.

  

NATURAL TRAVELER: How did you get started constructing furniture and building and designing the dog sculptures from wood?

Stephen Huneck:  When I was a kid growing up in Vermont I had a tremendous interest in antiques, and that interest turned into a passion and an eye for quality as I became a young man.  Back in the ‘70s the antique business in Vermont was booming.  I'd look around on porches and in barns and find lovely period pieces and broken-down but beautiful antique furniture. People could not believe I'd pay them to cart away furniture from their barns.  But then I had to fix that broken furniture, and in making the essential repairs I discovered that I had a natural talent for building and restoring furniture.