David Schump

Brighton, MA

From early childhood David Schump had a passion for all forms of art and creativity. His grandmother taught him how to sew, needlepoint, cross-stitch, embroider and do crewel work. He also learned to weave Shaker baskets, paint and draw, sculpt and eventually found himself in a design career for over 3 decades. His love of Design, History, Antiques and Folk Art led him to start collecting Christmas, Ephemera, Early American Furniture, Smalls, Textiles/Quilts and Toys. These items have always been an inspiration for him. When he saw his first piece of Tramp Art he knew he had found something special. He took the time to research and study the history of this art form. The level of details, the simple tools and the materials used by the craftsmen who made these pieces of "Tramp Art" intrigued him. Each piece he studied seemed to have a soul, a story to tell and a warmth that only comes from something made by one's hands. While he has always loved creating things with his hands he had never attempted to work with wood, after all, he had no training. It was also very important to him that he stay as true as possible to the origins of Tramp Art in its materials and simplicity. With that in mind he picked up the tools that he was most comfortable with from his years in graphic design, a couple of small hand held knives. The pieces he first created were given to his dearest friends as Christmas presents. In 2013, David decided to follow his dream of becoming a folk artist and turned his focus from graphic design to Tramp Art. Making each of his pieces is a labor of love. His work can contain as many as 200–900 individually cut and carved pieces of wood. He has said, "I have found my true calling" and he hopes to be creating his Tramp Art for years to come.