Flurries of a different kind descended on Washago this weekend.
Saw dust flew around Centennial Park on Quetton Street where carvers revved up their chainsaws and put their unique talent and one-of-a-kind art on display.
“The event has been great,” said John Kerr, event organizer. “We’ve got a dozen guys out here from all over Ontario. They’re from as far as London in the south and Elk Lake up north.”
The carvers had been at it all day Friday and will continue into Sunday afternoon when they will have a chance to auction off their creations, starting at 1 p.m.
“They’ve probably produced around 30 pieces,” said Kerr. “The auction on Sunday is a good idea because if you come through here a couple times a day, you see the progress on the pieces.”
Watching a piece take shape was the most amazing part of the whole experience for Laurie Harvey.
“I love carvings,” said the Washago resident. “I just wanted to come down and see how it’s done. These people are very talented. It’s very spectacular that they look at a piece of wood and they know what it’s going to be,” she said.
A steady stream of 30 to 40 people had been wandering through, despite the weather being chilly this weekend, said Kerr. There are usually people who come back after taking a look at the piece, he added.
Chippewas of Rama First Nations councillor Ted Williams was also among the dozen artists who were participating in the event.
“I never had a chainsaw in my hand up until 2004,” he said, adding after two hours his teacher told him he could go home.
Surprised, Williams asked what was wrong, thinking he was bad at it. It turned out, it wasn’t that, but it was because he was better at it than those who had been learning longer than him.
Based on his experience and more than 4,000 carvings later, he believes anyone can do it.
“A lot of people say over and over that they don’t have the talent for that,” said Williams. “What I would say to them is you don’t realize how much talent you do have. The level of talent and artistic ability in anyone is unlimited, in my opinion. You just have to believe you can do it.”
Talented or not, he said, safety is first.
“Go small,” said Williams. “You have to take a small saw, and it can’t be too powerful, because it’s a dangerous tool. Learn how to be safe with it first. This is a heavy machine and it’s powerful. If you make the wrong cut, it’ll really come back at you.”
In addition, he said, it takes a lot of trial and error and practice. Learn from somebody, watch them and watch videos, Williams added. If you can create a cycle of 'carve, sell and invest', you can make a decent income out of it, he noted.
Advice from veterans was exactly what some budding carvers were looking for.
“This is helping me get familiar with the tools and techniques,” said Ron Tinsley, who has been carving for a couple of years or so.
Being at the event Saturday told him how much more he still has to learn, said the Sebright resident.
“You get better with each carving,” said Tinsley. “And then you come here and see these guys working at it and it inspires you and helps you be more creative.”
Veteran carver Jim Menken said beginners should use a lot of reference material.
“You’ll see guys they’ll make a lot of the same mistakes over and over again,” said the Orangeville resident, who has been carving full-time for 15 years. “I always say look at photos or videos or sketch it.”
He further added that it’s important to know one’s limits with each chainsaw.
When carving, “Start with a big one so you’re removing a lot of wood quickly, making your way down to the smallest saw,” Menken said. “The smallest saw allows you to do a lot of detail.”
The Sunday afternoon auction is looking to raise funds for a mobi-mat that will provide better park accessibility to those using wheelchairs or stroller, said RJ Hill, who helped market the weekend-long event.
