Libby artist brings home 'People' Choice' honor
Courtesy Ron Adamson’s wood carving caught the attention of attendees at last weekend’s Artistry in Wood Show in Lincoln City, Ore.
Over the years, Libby artist Ron Adamson has earned a number of honors, rubbed elbows with Hollywood stars and drew the attention of the legendary rock band, “The Eagles.”
This past weekend in Lincoln City, Ore., Adamson added another highlight to his array of artistic credentials by winning the “People’s Choice Award” at the 18th annual Artistry in Wood Show.
Adamson, 54, was invited to the event by the show’s hosts – the Coastal Carvers – and his piece was the most popular among attendees out of 80 exhibits on the floor. It was the first time Adamson had participated in that particular show.
Adamson, a 1974 graduate of Libby High School, has put together an impressive career. Among his credentials is the design of a medal that President Clinton awarded to astronaut John Glenn in 1999, a wood carving that former Gov. Judy Martz presented to President Bush and various pieces that went to actors like Tony Curtis, Gary Burghoff and Dean Stockwell and Rod Steiger.
One of the most interesting pieces in Adamson’s past is featured on a particular “corner in Winslow, Arizona.” That’s a line from The Eagles’ classic, “Take It Easy” and Adamson designed a life-sized sculpture of a man with a guitar that is featured in that northern Arizona community’s biggest claim to fame.
Adamson credits a lot of his success to the Internet – which started through KooteNet in Libby.
“I got online and learned how to build web pages and used the Internet extensively when it first came to Libby,” Adamson said. “The Eagles found me that way … there weren’t any artists online yet. Because of the Internet, I had artwork going all over the country and world.”
In more recent times, Adamson has been taking advantage of the online video craze.
“I put myself on YouTube with how to carve videos and when I was at the show, I sold about 100 DVDs on how to carve,” Adamson said. “Altogether, my videos have gotten me about 125,000 views. As of now, I have 38 videos on there.”
Adamson likened his video success to that of a musician. “If you can put out music and get 100,000 people to listen to it, you’re on your way to a hit.”