Custom Whittling by John “El Capitan” Vasquez

John “El Capitan” Vasquez was born into poverty in a rural area near Creedmoor, Texas.  They had no radio or television so they were left to their own devices for entertainment.  Since no self-respecting country boy is without a pocketknife, the artist learned how to use one at a very early age.  He had an uncle who loved to whittle and the artist learned a lot from him.

Many years later he met Mr. “Whittling Joe” McMordie who was Austin’s best whittler and was introduced to the finer points of woodcarving.  A friendship developed and about one year later, Mr. McMordie remarked that the student was now much better than the teacher.  “El Capitan” still thinks “Whittling Joe” is the best.

The figures you see are carved from linden wood, which is a very tough but not hard wood.  Most of the wooden toys you buy in the stores are made from this same wood.  It takes about thirty hours to complete each figure so you are looking at perhaps several years of work.  Most of these figures were carved as a memorial to the events of September 11, 2001, but they have slowly evolved into a patriotic memorial to America.

Over the years, the artist has been commissioned to do many pieces of art for many people, his most notable client being former First Lady and current New York Senator Mrs. Hilary Rodham Clinton.  He also made replicas of historical events such as the “Come and take it” cannon of Gonzalez, Texas, the “Judge Roy Bean” of Langtry, Texas and many more.