Tools of Clem the Butcher

This painting is a tribute to my Dad, Clem DeCrane, Sr. who was a butcher by trade. These are the tools used in his butcher shop. The knife in the middle was actually a half inch wider when my Dad purchased it. It has shrunk as it was sharpened over the years. He owned and operated a shop for 24 years. In the mid 1960’s the trends were moving away from the local butcher to big grocery stores. Consequently, my Dad’s business dwindled and he was forced to close his store. In time he was hired as a butcher at one of the big grocery stores, where her worked for 15 years until he retired. Working for the big grocery store proved beneficial for him because they provided hea