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Susie Dean sent me this article from the Daily Press in Ashland about her father Clarence Heikkila, age 80, of Superior. He is distantly related to me.
That's Clarence in the picture.
As one of the original founders of the Northwoods Carvers group, Clarence Heikkila of Superior maintains an accordion file full of wood-carving patterns such as this fish. Karen Hollish/Staff Photo
By KAREN HOLLISH Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, July 30, 2009 10:38 AM CDT
IRON RIVER — Wood shavings were strewn across Clarence Heikkila’s blue-aproned belly, and the 80-year-old's hands trembled slightly as he showed off his works in progress.
There was an inch-high mouse made to sit nicely on a ledge, a deer whose antlers were being chiseled out of a separate wood sliver, and a bunny carved from basswood, which has a soft, pliable surface that Heikkila favors over other hardwoods.
All these were carefully sculpted by Heikkila, who founded the Northwoods Carvers almost 22 years ago.
"I'm one of the original ones," Heikkila said Tuesday at the Iron River Community Center. "Actually, there was four of us that got together, and I guess three of them are dead."
While many of the group's members have passed away over the years, a group of nearly 15 carvers — all of whom have reached retirement age — still meet for four hours every Tuesday afternoon at the center, with more coming during the cold winter months. There they work on projects, trade carving tips and talk about what's happening in their lives. They bring their own chunks of wood and personal toolkits stocked with patterns, knives, chisels, gauges and electric rotary tools.
"I just like working with wood, but I also like how we can work together," said Shirley Saker of Iron River, who on Wednesday carved a decorative Scandinavian spoon at a worktable filled with lady carvers. "We see things differently, we talk to each other, we help each other. It's just a good time to get together."
"I'm here for the gossip," joked Lois Pitzele of Hawthorne, who was also crafting a spoon.
A former longshoreman, farmer and logger, Heikkila said he started carving soon after he retired in 1986. The Northwoods Carvers have always met in Iron River, although in the group's early years, they gathered in a member's garage. When that person passed away, they moved their weekly work session into a member's basement, until the city's community center was built and became their permanent home.
Heikkila, who moved from Oulu to Superior several years ago for medical reasons, is the group's most geographically far-flung member today, he said.
Closer to the action is Dale Carlson of Iron River, who started carving 10 years ago after retiring as the owner of Tri-State Business Systems.
"I turned 79 last week — that's doggone old!" he remarked.
Carlson was eager to share some of his recent projects, which included a shiny diamond willow walking stick and several canes carved from sumac.
"I put little animals on mine," he said, holding up a walking stick with a curved surface smattered with animals.
"This one," he said proudly, "has three bears and a moose and a deer and another deer. This one," he said while holding out another stick, "is horses, horses, horses, horses and horses — just horses."
Carlson estimated that a certain walking stick took him 10 to 12 hours to complete; Heikkila disputed this figure, arguing that it looked at if it had taken at least 15 hours to create.
Like most all of the members there on Tuesday, Heikkila was working to complete multiple projects at once, from animals to fishing lures to lamps.
He always brings an accordion folder filled with patterns of subjects like bears, cowboy boots and old shoes. Some patterns, such as his moose, are complex and have multiple pages of detailed schematics.
Some were copied from books and others were hand-drawn, and their yellowing pages and worn corners suggest Heikkila and his fellow carvers may have used many of the patterns for years, if not decades.
Heikkila also carries a tackle box filled with plastic and glass eyes of various sizes for his animals and caricatures. Real eyes from a taxidermist, he explained, are too expensive to regularly use.
Heikkila's finished products can be quite realistic, he said. He beams as he tells the story of a 10-pound fish he reeled in from the Brule and the replica he created.
"People think it's done by a taxidermist," he said.
At the nearby ladies' table, Barbara Tapani of Oulu chiseled away at a fish-handled spoon. A former bookkeeper, Tapani is tied with another member for the honor of being the group's youngest carver; she is 62.
Tapani is also Heikkila's niece, and she became interested in the communal crafting process by virtue of the same reasons as her uncle, who serves as the silver-haired group's elder statesman and the go-to guy for pattern help.
Tapani's involvement helps ensure a younger generation of carvers will continue with her uncle's tradition of keeping their creative juices flowing during the golden years.
"I just retired," Tapani explained, "so I needed a hobby."
That's Clarence in the picture.
As one of the original founders of the Northwoods Carvers group, Clarence Heikkila of Superior maintains an accordion file full of wood-carving patterns such as this fish. Karen Hollish/Staff Photo
By KAREN HOLLISH Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, July 30, 2009 10:38 AM CDT
IRON RIVER — Wood shavings were strewn across Clarence Heikkila’s blue-aproned belly, and the 80-year-old's hands trembled slightly as he showed off his works in progress.
There was an inch-high mouse made to sit nicely on a ledge, a deer whose antlers were being chiseled out of a separate wood sliver, and a bunny carved from basswood, which has a soft, pliable surface that Heikkila favors over other hardwoods.
All these were carefully sculpted by Heikkila, who founded the Northwoods Carvers almost 22 years ago.
"I'm one of the original ones," Heikkila said Tuesday at the Iron River Community Center. "Actually, there was four of us that got together, and I guess three of them are dead."
While many of the group's members have passed away over the years, a group of nearly 15 carvers — all of whom have reached retirement age — still meet for four hours every Tuesday afternoon at the center, with more coming during the cold winter months. There they work on projects, trade carving tips and talk about what's happening in their lives. They bring their own chunks of wood and personal toolkits stocked with patterns, knives, chisels, gauges and electric rotary tools.
"I just like working with wood, but I also like how we can work together," said Shirley Saker of Iron River, who on Wednesday carved a decorative Scandinavian spoon at a worktable filled with lady carvers. "We see things differently, we talk to each other, we help each other. It's just a good time to get together."
"I'm here for the gossip," joked Lois Pitzele of Hawthorne, who was also crafting a spoon.
A former longshoreman, farmer and logger, Heikkila said he started carving soon after he retired in 1986. The Northwoods Carvers have always met in Iron River, although in the group's early years, they gathered in a member's garage. When that person passed away, they moved their weekly work session into a member's basement, until the city's community center was built and became their permanent home.
Heikkila, who moved from Oulu to Superior several years ago for medical reasons, is the group's most geographically far-flung member today, he said.
Closer to the action is Dale Carlson of Iron River, who started carving 10 years ago after retiring as the owner of Tri-State Business Systems.
"I turned 79 last week — that's doggone old!" he remarked.
Carlson was eager to share some of his recent projects, which included a shiny diamond willow walking stick and several canes carved from sumac.
"I put little animals on mine," he said, holding up a walking stick with a curved surface smattered with animals.
"This one," he said proudly, "has three bears and a moose and a deer and another deer. This one," he said while holding out another stick, "is horses, horses, horses, horses and horses — just horses."
Carlson estimated that a certain walking stick took him 10 to 12 hours to complete; Heikkila disputed this figure, arguing that it looked at if it had taken at least 15 hours to create.
Like most all of the members there on Tuesday, Heikkila was working to complete multiple projects at once, from animals to fishing lures to lamps.
He always brings an accordion folder filled with patterns of subjects like bears, cowboy boots and old shoes. Some patterns, such as his moose, are complex and have multiple pages of detailed schematics.
Some were copied from books and others were hand-drawn, and their yellowing pages and worn corners suggest Heikkila and his fellow carvers may have used many of the patterns for years, if not decades.
Heikkila also carries a tackle box filled with plastic and glass eyes of various sizes for his animals and caricatures. Real eyes from a taxidermist, he explained, are too expensive to regularly use.
Heikkila's finished products can be quite realistic, he said. He beams as he tells the story of a 10-pound fish he reeled in from the Brule and the replica he created.
"People think it's done by a taxidermist," he said.
At the nearby ladies' table, Barbara Tapani of Oulu chiseled away at a fish-handled spoon. A former bookkeeper, Tapani is tied with another member for the honor of being the group's youngest carver; she is 62.
Tapani is also Heikkila's niece, and she became interested in the communal crafting process by virtue of the same reasons as her uncle, who serves as the silver-haired group's elder statesman and the go-to guy for pattern help.
Tapani's involvement helps ensure a younger generation of carvers will continue with her uncle's tradition of keeping their creative juices flowing during the golden years.
"I just retired," Tapani explained, "so I needed a hobby."
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