You may not know John Tullius if you were to meet him on the street, but if you’ve lived in Cleveland County for any length of time, it’s a sure bet that you have admired and maybe even chuckled at his art.
This shy storyteller had a successful career at The Norman Transcript for more than 30 years as their enigmatic “In Toon with Norman” cartoonist. However, John’s making the chips fly as an emerging creative voice in a space that can only be termed a “Sculpenter.”
“I was born to do art,” John said. “Most sculptors take big chunks of wood and whittle them down. As a carpenter, I’m used to building things up. I understand how wood grains go together and how to piece things together so that there is little waste.”
Not fully sculpture, not all carpentry, he melded these art and technical forms to create an all-John art form. As a Navy veteran, John used his GI Bill to go to the University of Oklahoma after growing up on a farm south of Norman, the youngest of five children. He started in architecture but then realized that what he really loved to do was art, so he changed his major and graduated with a fine arts degree at age 34.
“My dad told me to get a job and save your money,” said John, who has lived in Norman for all of his 71 years (minus four years while in the Navy).
After college, John and his brother Jerry went into business together. For more than four decades, they have remodeled, provided custom cabinetry and trimmed houses all over Norman. John has also sojourned into furniture making for close family and friends.
He enjoys working with his hands and is no stranger to the gardens, as evidenced by the greenery in every room of his home. His newest artistic endeavors are equally inspiring inside as they are outside.
“All of my sculptures are large enough and sealed for the garden, although most of my collectors seem to keep them inside their homes,” said John, who uses cedar posts to create his latest series of Saints.
“I started with Saint Francis, patron saint of animals and birds, and have just finished with Saint Cecilia, patron saint of music, which is #160.”
John attributed his Saints series to a lifelong pathway that “clicked on” countless touchpoints in his life—from being raised Catholic to a random refrigerator magnet to something his sister once said to him.
“I am constantly learning and using what I learn to create my art. From the ‘look’ of my Saints to the Saints I choose to carve, I feel blessed to be on this path.
“I always told my two children that you have to do something you love, and the money will come,” added John, who is now a grandparent. “And I think I have finally found it. I couldn’t be happier.”
John works five hours a day in his garage workshop. He says he doesn’t have to have the best tools, he wastes very little, and he “makes it happen” when challenges arise in his shop. He knew very little about the Saints when he started this series, so learning about them as he creates his versions of them has been another life lesson.
Through custom orders and creative inspiration, John is making his way through the Saints: Saint Gertrude, patron Saint of cats; Saint Nicholas; Saint Agatha- Patron Saint of Breast Cancer patients; Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American to be declared a Saint…the list goes on and on. He also has sculpted wizards and gnomes.
“Most of my collectors are females, who seem to have a connection with my works of art that go beyond me,” he said, noting that he loves to see his art being enjoyed, but that he prefers to remain in the background to create in the quiet.
“Knowing that people love my work and that it will continue to bless others for generations is a blessing to me. Getting paid is just a bonus.”
You can find John G. Tullius’ art at STASH, 412 E. Main St., in Norman, or visit his Facebook page at facebook.com/JohnGTulliusArtist. He can also be emailed at jgttoons@att.net.
“All of my sculptures are large enough and sealed for the garden, although most of my collectors seem to keep them inside their homes."