MEMBER'S CORNER

Love Story of a Flute

Gary Kuhl of Eugene, Oregon, a designer and cabinetmaker by profession, first applied his professional talents to making a Native American flute in 1995. His flute making has truly evolved as a "love story" between he and his wife. Sherrie purchased her first flute in 1993, and by 1995 she owned five and was co-founder and facilitator of the Oregon Flute Circle. Gary was drawn to the beautiful sound of the Native American flute and wanted to try creating his own. He has since made over 200 flutes.

His first flute was made using incense cedar. One of his mentors, Hawk Littlejohn, a fourth generation Cherokee from North Carolina, had a huge influence on Gary along with others such as Joel Shaber, a master musician and flute maker from Idaho and especially Lew Paxton Price who really got him started. Gary has become a true master of the art of flute making as noted by recording artists such as Mary Youngblood, Mark Holland, Gentle Thunder, Charles Littleleaf, and Jan Michael Looking Wolf Reibach who have recognized Gary's skill in creating flute voices of the highest quality. Gary's business name is: Spirit Bird Flutes and he can be contacted by calling 541-344-7917 or email at gskuhl@televar.com

Gary's flutes were created in the past as a hobby, since he was fully employed by Marathon Coach and also helped maintain a small farm with his wife Sherrie. He retired on January 14, 2005 and is now able to devote more time to his flute making passion. His favorite woods to work with are: hardwoods, Myrtlewood, walnut, and maple; and softwoods, Port Orford cedar, Alaskan yellow cedar, and redwood. He uses a customized mouthpiece and block on each flute from a contrasting color of wood. He likes to keep a look of 'simple elegance' and creates a stunning work of art, as well as flutes that produce a beautiful sound.

A unique "love story" related to the flute, began when Gary was reading a magazine and became intrigued with a wood called Kauri. The Kauri forests grow only in New Zealand, and ancient fallen trees have been preserved in the bogs of the North Island for 50,000 years. These trees have survived in their underground resting place and represent some of the oldest trees in the world. The wood is wonderful for a craftsman to work with and very expensive.

Months before his retirement, Sherrie began investigating the logistics of purchasing a chunk of this rare wood for Gary to create flutes. After much research and finalizing her contacts, Sherrie placed her order and made arrangements for UPS to deliver it to a neighbor's home, so she could surprise Gary with this as a retirement gift. This process began in October with his retirement happening in January. As the date approached, Sherrie began to get concerned and learned that UPS had lost the six-foot long package, or most likely it was stolen. Sherrie didn't give up and began the process over again. She was determined to get this wood for Gary even if she had to fly over to New Zealand and haul it back herself! It finally arrived and she then used her amazing imagination and created an "archeological search" with one clue after another for Gary to discover his treasure. After following the many clues that lead him around the family farm, he ended up in the barn and pulled the treasure out of the bales of hay. After finding the rare wood, he also had a task to uncover the documents that stated the authenticity of the 50,000-year-old treasure.

Gary's first creation with this unbelievably beautiful wood was of course for his number one gal, Sherrie. He wanted to come up with a block design that would be true to the Maori natives who consider the Kauri tree sacred in their culture. Since the Maori people are known for their bone carvings, Gary looked at some of the necklaces Sherrie had with a Maori design and duplicated that design as an inlay on the block. The family dog was not left out of this story, since he gave up his beef bone so that Gary could cut it and polish it to replicate the necklace design and the two other Maori designs that Sherrie loved.

Now when we hear Sherrie play the melodious songs from that flute Gary made for her, we'll be reminded of the strong love they have for each other and the warmth they share with their friends and flute family.

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