Help us help Jack Dorsey “Raise the Roof” through a Silent Art Auction

Sunnyshore Studio has an audacious goal: to help Jack Dorsey raise $30,000* through a silent art auction of Jack’s original watercolors, oils and acrylics. This money will go towards replacing the old hand cut shake roof installed by Jack and his family and extended family back in 1984. [*This is an estimate of cost to replace cedar shake roof with composite of metal roof. We are waiting to get bids back from Jim Spane of Spane Building to determine financial goal]

Here’s the story…

Jack and Ann Dorsey, and their son, Jason,moved to Camano in the fall of 1969 and into their current home in the spring of 1970. The house had no water, plumbing or electricity at that time.

Jack began to work full time as a professional artist, as well as to start fixing up the old home. He got an old cast iron furnace from Bob Crow that he used in the basement for heat, and bought a Monarch wood stove for the kitchen for $25.

In the early 1970’s Jack asked Dan Garrison at his real estate office (now Windermere near the Country Club) if he could cut wood for his stoves from his logged off land south of Camano Hill road, now Michael Way, and Dan agreed.

When cutting wood, Jack discovered old growth cedar stumps all over and he concentrated on cutting 24 inch bolts of cedar (blackened by fir). He hauled load after load home and made a huge pile of cedar bolts knowing they would make cedar shakes in the future. He often brought Jason along with him for this work.

In this photo you can see the bolts that were used to make the cedar shakes. Jed Dorsey is hard at work picking up some of the kindling to start a fire.

In the 1970’s and early 80’s, Jack and Ann shingle roofed house had lots of leaks. In 1984 Jack had an addition built on the house.

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That is when he started splitting shakes with a tool called a “froe.” It had a wooden handle at right angles to a steel blade used to cut through cedar bolts. He would use a draw knife to smooth the shakes into a taper, but generally every time he cut a shake, he would turn the bolt which gave a natural taper to the shake.

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Jason, and his siblings April and Jed, helped a lot with the making, shaping and installing of the shakes to the new addition and original home in 1984.

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There’s some fun photos that Mom found. Like when Jason is nursing a hand bloody with blisters from the hard work.

And this one of Jason and Jed collapsed on the ground, resting in the sun, after the hard work the roof.

What is TRULY REMARKABLE about the photographs we’re found is how many other members of our extended family as well as friends helped out on this project. It is rather quite remarkable how many folks Jack Dorsey was able to rope into the project!

Jack’s nephew Bruce Dodgson helped out!

Here’s a photo with T.S. and Bruce Dodgson helping out!

Doug Dodgson got in on the project too! Here he is helping Jason carry a sky light.

Even the younger cousins got involved. Here’s some photographs with nephews/cousins Derek and Ethan Dodgson.

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Of course, Jack Dorsey was the mind behind the project and the master roofer that moved it all along.

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He has always been a hard, hard worker. His kids and nephews learned from his example.

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So it felt familiar when in July of 2018, Jed and Jason and his sons Jacob and Julian worked on the roof. Cleaning the fir needles off and replacing old shingles worn thin in the weather. Jack even got back up on the roof a bit. But his boys told him to stay on the ground and provide support. After all, he was 78 years of age at the time!

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In working on the roof they discovered that many of the shingles were showing their age and that the old cedar shingle roof that had protected the home for 34 years would probably need to replaced in the next couple of years.

Raise the Roof Silent Art Auction

The Jack Dorsey “Raise the Roof” Silent Art Auction is taking place over three Saturdays in June: June 15, 22, and 29, from 10am-5pm. It will be held at Sunnyshore Studio: 2803 S.E. Camano Drive, Camano Island, WA.

Jack will have many of his watercolors, oils and acrylics at very affordable prices. Here is a great chance to get a Jack Dorsey original at a great price and help Jack “raise the roof” one more time!

Reception and Concert

On Saturday, June 22nd at 5:00pm Sunnyshore Studio will host a BIG BBQ, first come first served. We’ll have food for 100 people. At 6:00pm we are excited to host a Bluegrass concert by the Day Brothers.

Online Bidding

If you can’t attend the silent auction in person, you can bid online through the link provided below. The rules of the silent auction are listed here.

https://sunnyshorestudio.com/portfolio/jack-dorsey-raise-the-roof-silent-art-auction/