About Us Biography
Ed Roth
Ed Roth has a fierce dedication to his craft, designing, sculpting and woodcarving, which led him to start A&E Sculpting and Paint Studio, now based in Los Alamitos, California. He is the most prolific master wood carver of his generation. His massive body of work and artistry is unmatched by another carver today.
At age five Ed discovered his desire to draw and make sculptures. As a young teenager he custom-shaped a squadron of bicycles for his friends using polyester body filler. During high school Ed worked at an antique refinishing shop where he learned the art of refinishing and repairing furniture. At the age of eighteen he opened his own refinishing business with a friend. That's when a carousel collector brought an entire carousel to be stripped and repaired. Ed was captivated by the ornate artistry of those horses. Three years later he started carving full time recreating the work of the turn-of-the-century carvers.
Ed's productions gained national attention and growing renown within the National Carousel Association when he carved the first fifty-foot carousel since the late 1920's for Seabreeze Amusement Park in Rochester, New York, the twelfth oldest amusement park in the world. Their original carousel was consumed in a fire in March 1995. In 1999 he carved all of the custom figures and trim for the Disney Tokyo Caravan Carousel. The next five years he honed his skills carving on various projects for the Walt Disney Company. Two of his favorite projects were carving ninety feet of Mahogany panels celebrating Roosevelt's life for the Teddy Roosevelt's Lounge located in Tokyo Disney, Japan, and the entrance to Mickey's Philharmagic in Hong Kong Disney.
In 2007 A&E was entrusted to research and restore the carousel figures the Smithsonian had in storage since the 1960's. All of the ornate details had been sandblasted sometime in the 60's. The carousel is now operating at Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, PA.
In 2008 Ed Roth was selected by the Walt Disney Company to recreate their favorite carousel horse "Jingles" to half-size scale complete to the smallest details, and presented as a special gift to Disney's Fiftieth Anniversary Ambassador, Julie Andrews. It was an honor to be selected for this project and to present it to Ms. Andrews.
Now with thirty years of experience A&E Sculpting by Ed Roth is producing original design carousels and custom figures for collectors all over the world.
Timeline
This is highlight of some of the projects created by Master Carver Ed Roth – A&E Scultping:
- 1984: Ed Roth started carving and restoring carousel figures.
- 1992: Carved 20 figures for Sanders Carousel Company
- 1993: Restoration of 1922 Allan Herschell carousel - New horses and trim
- 1995: Seabreeze Amusement Park Carousel Rochester, New York – Seabreeze Amusement Park is the twelfth oldest amusement park in the world. In March 31 1994 a tragic fire consumed the original PTC carousel. Our company was selected to create 42 new horses, chariots and rounding boards.
- 1995: Carved 24 horses for a new Brass Ring Carousel.
- 1998: Grand Carousel – Giggleberry Fair located in Peddler's Village, La Haska, PA. Our company carved 46 new figures. Frame restoration by Carousels and Carvings Inc.
- 1998: Walt Disney Imagineering. Carved the custom figures for the Caravan Carousel, Arabian Coast, Tokyo, Japan themed after the movie Aladdin. Carvings include the popular character Genie, gryphon, camel, mechanical Arabian horse, Cave of Wonders chariot, and patterns for all the interior trim and rounding boards.
- 1999: Walt Disney Imagineering. Carved four Mahogany bas-relief murals for the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge, American Waterfront Tokyo, Disney. Panels depict Roosevelt's history from his home at Sagamore Hill, Nobel Peace Prize, John Muir, cavalry flags and so on.
- 2001: Elk City Centennial Carousel Elk City, Oklahoma. Our company was commissioned by Brass Ring Carousels to carve the figures.
- 2002: Great Northern Carousel Helena, Montana. Developer Allan Nicholson had a vision of a carousel populated with figures indigenous to Montana. Over the course of three years we created 37 figures, and fabricated the rounding boards for this project. Carousel mechanism built by Todd Goings of Carousels and Carvings, Inc.
- 2002: Restoration of Santa Monica Pier Carousel. Restored carousel horses and chariots.
- 2002: Walt Disney Imagineering. Carved ornamental appliqués for the exterior of the Tower of Terror, Tokyo, Japan.
- 2003: Walt Disney Imagineering. Carved the entrance to Mickey's Philharmagic; "Be Our Guest" musical doors, and a transom panel showing Mickey as an orchestra conductor, including French horns.
- 2005: Walt Disney Imagineering. Norway Pavillion, EPCOT Center, Florida. Carved 6'7" Viking for entrance of exhibit.
- 2007: Please Touch Museum. Started restoration of the 1924 Dentzel Carousel figures owned by the Smithsonian and currently on loan to Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. This was a two year project restoring some of the more sought after Muller and Dentzel carvings. Mechanism and trim restored by Carousels and Carvings. Paint was researched to original colors by Rosa Patton.
- 2007: Walt Disney Imagineering. Ed Roth carved half-size replica of famous Disney carousel horse "Jingles" for Disney's 50th anniversary Disney Ambassador Julie Andrews.
- 2011: Created carousel figures to populate a Concept 1900 carousel (French carousel manufacturer).
- 2012: Created menagerie carousel figures for a Concept 1900 carousel.
- 2013: Carved eighteen figures for Staten Island Zoo Carousel. New carousel manufactured by Carousels and Carvings, Inc.
- 2013: Briggs Carousel, Washington. Ongoing project with Ed Roth original designs.
- 2013: Carving new exotic-menagerie carousel with original Ed Roth designs for Brass Ring Carousels to be completed in 2015.