Truckee Flintknapping Artist Grog Verbeck

November 18, 2020
    Artists

Flintknap art sculptures by Grog Verbeck.

Grog says this ancient, primitive skill is a dying art. […]

Read More… from Truckee Flintknapping Artist Grog Verbeck

Considered the world’s oldest profession, flintknapping dates back more than 2 million years ago when rocks were broken down into sharp tools and arrowheads by prehistoric man.

Grog says flintknapping is the common bond between all peoples and all cultures since stone tools were made in order to survive.

For over 10 years, Grog has embraced the art of flintknapping with great patience and respect. And he must. Each of his flintknap sculptures begins with one big rock that is methodically broken down or striked into a single point.

Artist Statement:

I love this art because it is a common link between all peoples of all times of all continents. It’s the one thing all our ancestors created in order to survive. This is not so with all tools and survival techniques based on the geographical region of the people, but with stone tools there is no exception. We all made them and used them, as a matter of survival.

This primitive skill, in its truest form, is a dying art. It has recently seen a surge in popularity, but in all the world there are very few people alive today who can create a stone point without the use of power tools. This ancient art illustrates the very nature of survival of all people and we will have lost a truly critical elemental art form if the tradition is not carried on.

I want my sculptures to show people the very root of our survival. This craft requires complete attention and has become a form of meditation for me. It keeps me in touch with the natural world that surrounds me and when I’m working I feel able to peer into ancient minds and bridge another time. It gives me answers and ties me to my past.

Grog is a professionally trained chef by trade and runs a private chef service called Hey Chef.