Culley turns love of art into burgeoning hobby

Many people know John Culley from his decades as a teacher at Concordia High School (CHS). What a lot of those people don't realize, is that Culley has always had an artistic bent, and he's turned that artistry into a burgeoning hobby.

Born and raised in Concordia, Culley graduated from Kansas Wesleyan University. He landed his first teaching job at Pretty Prairie. In 1978 he returned to Concordia to teach at CHS. For 32 years in all, Culley shepherded students through secondary education and out into the real world. And in all that time, he pursued a hobby he loved: art.

“John is a very creative man,” said his wife Linda.

Culley turned his first love, woodworking, into a business: the Cloud County Country Clock Company. He built clocks and traveled to fairs and craft shows around the state to display his work.

Culley was soon branching out into other artistic avenues: making furniture, painting, copper work – and now his latest venture: mixing oils with cold wax.

Where does all this artistic expression come from? “I really don't know,” Culley said modestly. “My mother was very artistic. Maybe it comes from her. Believe me, there are a lot of things I work on that don't come out the way I wanted.”

Culley is basically self-taught. He reads a lot of art books and watches a few videos, but he has no formal training. “I took one art class in college,” he said. “I got a B+.”

When creating a piece of art, whether it's wood, copper, oil and cold wax, Culley has no set idea in mind when he starts. “I don't necessarily see something right away. For a piece of wood, I first clean it up and then... I don't really know. It just kind of comes to me.”

Each creation has its own time frame – something can take two or three hours, or as Culley says succinctly: “It can take awhile.”

“He always has several things going at once,” said Linda.

It's an enjoyable hobby for Culley and has been his whole life. But it also has it rewards - mentally, physically, and financially. Culley's work sells. A lot. Going back to his original work with clocks, Culley estimates he's sold several hundred pieces of art. “The most I ever sold something for was around $1,000. Of course you split that with the gallery. But its never been about the money. I just enjoy doing it.”

How does an artist determine the value of their work? “That's the hardest part of it all,” Culley said. “When I first took my stuff down to the Phoenix Gallery, I told the lady there a price, and she just gave me this funny look. And I said: Too much? She shook her head and they set a price that was a lot higher. So I let them do the pricing now.”

Culley's artwork has been on display at the Phoenix Gallery in Lawrence for years. This month, he is the gallery's featured artist. “I got this call and they asked if I would be the featured artist at the gallery for February. It's for their Final Friday celebrations. The whole downtown area gets involved.”

In Lawrence, 'Final Fridays' began in August of 2010 through the cooperation of the Lawrence Arts Center, Downtown Lawrence Inc., The Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission and a wealth of artists, gallerists, art collectives, and local businesses who saw an opportunity for a monthly free arts festival.

From 5 until 9 p.m. on the last Friday of the month from February through November, the streets of downtown Lawrence turn into art galleries, and storefronts convert into flash spaces.

Culley also has his artwork on display each year in Manhattan, Kansas, at the Manhattan Art Center every November 24-December 24. Several of his smaller items are on display at the Cloud County Tourism Office, as well.

Culley has no grand ambitions or set goals for his artistry – it's just something he loves to do. Every day. “I pretty much work at it everyday,” Culley said. “It's not work to me. If I hadn't had this to do I would have been bored to death.” He then smiled and added, “The wife complains some.”

“I always know where he is,” Linda said. “The garage, or the basement.”

“I'll just keep doing what I'm doing for as long as I can.” Culley said. “I really enjoy it, and I hope I have some talent. I think there's a lot of people out there who could do the same if they gave themselves a chance.”

If you'd like to contact Culley about his artwork or see where his art will be on display, his email is jc4ksu@gmail.com.