Self-taught craftsman preps for Artesian festival

ADA, Okla. – “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.”

Little could Chickasaw artist Christopher Gross know Charles Dickens’ words – written 161 years earlier – would mirror his life so dramatically.

His journey began in 2020 during a global pandemic.

While performing his duties remotely, Gross did something else, too.

He learned to craft wood, use a lathe, chisels and other tools to shap…