This is a group of four prints.
Price is $100.00 plus S&H.
contact- woodburyjs@bellsouth.net
At our fall shoot 1983 at Friendship, Indiana, I was called
before the board of directors of the National Muzzle Loading
Rifle Association. As a part of the next years fifty year
celebration they wanted an art print or prints to raise money for
the Association.
Western Artist David Wright, fairly new on the rendezvous
scene at that time, made a bid and was considered for the art
work. He was on our magazine Muzzle Blast staff. An artist
from Philadelphia, Pa. came in, pushed me aside, laid out his art
prints and they were fairly good! He was not one of our
Association members! I had just a few sketches with me!
A long boring afternoon, the directors couldn’t seen to make up
their minds.
I could hear plenty of activity up in the primitive area,
longrifle gun fire, yelling and singing a faint sound of live
Bluegrass music. Plenty of cold beer being drank and I needed
one bad!
Finally my old friend Doctor Eldridge Baker, then vice
president of N.M.L.R.A. and a director, slammed his fist down
on the big conference table saying, “Hershel House has been a
member here for eighteen years. He has taken part, since the
beginning of the development and success of the primitive camp
and rifle range. Hershel donated one of his rifles as a prize for
the valley aggregate 1974. Also winning that event twice, later on.
Also building a hundred or more longrifles for our members,
many are in use on our range today! He is the one who deserves
to do the prints.” Other directors said “OK.”
We decided I would do four pen and ink drawing depicting our
different activities!
I pondered all fall and winter what to sketch. As time was
running out in late March, I finally sat at my kitchen table, did
all four in one afternoon and evening. In the middle of this my
wife, Dark Moon, washing dishes, cut her hand badly on a
broken glass. Had to take her to our doctor, got her hand sewed
up!
Took my four sketches to Grey Stone Press in Nashville and
the were approved. Grey Stone did and excellent job, printing a
five thousand series as a package deal!
I had suggested a two thousand series as we didn’t have near
five thousand members but our board of directors wanted to
make big bucks, so I had to sign and number twenty thousand
print, which took about a week and a half. My left hand cramped
and I had bandaids on three fingers. Dark Moon was a big help,
she would hand me four prints to be signed and numbered, she
slipped them into their folder, handing me four more.
Loaded up three hundred pounds of prints, headed to Friendship
in my old Ford. Collected my two thousand dollars what I had
charged and was agreed to by the Association.
That next summer 1984 at our fifty year celebration shoot,
they had a NMLRA small booth set up to sell bi-centennial items. I
was supposed to set there and sell and autograph sets to member
customers each day. Being more interested in longrifle
competitions up in the holler, I hid out!
The print sets did sell fairly good, some used as shooting
prizes and over a number of years the five thousand series did
sell out. The original sketches are framed and hang in our
NMLRA Museum at Friendship.
A few years back our board of directors said if I would not do
another numbered series, it would be fine to print up and sell a
few more sets. My friend Barry Embry owner of Embry’s
Impressions did a fine job on the same color heavy textured
paper. For sale here, signed by me. It is a privilege to be a part
of our CLA. I can write a few lines on thanks and friendship as I
know a great many of our members. There is a group of four prints.
Price is $100.00 plus S&H.
Hershel House
Contact - woodburyjs@bellsouth.net
