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Turning disaster into art, wood carver makes sculptures from trees downed by Fiona

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Mike Palmer and his fiancé Charmaine Rozee were devastated when post-tropical storm Fiona brought down the giant poplar tree that had stood tall for nearly 90 years on their property.

“That tree was our tree,” said Rozee. A bracket that held the family nameplate had become embedded in the wood over the years.

Instead of chopping it all up for firewood, Palmer took a piece to a wood carver he came across in Peggys Cove.

“I thought it would be a really cool time to say, look, the tree is not really gone,” said Palmer.

He asked for a sculpture of a dolphin — his fiancé’s favourite animal — and decided to surprise her with it.

Rozee said when she first laid eyes on the creation, “it dropped me to my knees.”

A man in a red shirt sits beside a woman in a grey sweater beside a wooden sculpture of a dolphin.
Mike Palmer and his wife, Charmaine Rozee, in their home with a dolphin sculpture created out of wood from the tree that collapsed on their property. (Robert Short/CBC)

The carver, Jay MacKay, runs his own wood workshop called DaVinci in Wood. He said Palmer wasn’t the only person who brought him a piece of a family tree damaged by the September storm.

MacKay said it’s the first time clients have supplied the logs he uses to carve from.

So far, he has carved three Fiona commissions with his chainsaw — a heron, a dolphin, and his latest, an owl.

“What really keeps me going is people’s reactions,” said MacKay, sitting in his wood shop surrounded by sculptures, his shoes covered in sawdust.

A wooden heron stands in front of a maple tree.
A heron stands in front of the maple tree it was carved out of. The tree held sentimental value for the family and was damaged by the storm. (Jay MacKay)

The owl was made from a piece of an elm tree that was uprooted on Kevin English’s property in New Glasgow. His father-in-law had planted it from seed when English’s daughter was a baby. His father-in-law passed away last year just before Christmas.

“When the hurricane came and blew the tree down, it’s really upset my wife,” English said. “It got completely uprooted, and there was nothing we could do.”

A wooden sculpture of an owl in a truck.
The owl was carved out of a piece of a downed tree that Kevin English had chopped up for firewood. (Jay MacKay)

English said the sculpture is a Christmas present to his wife.

“She likes owls quite a bit, so I figured it’d be nice to have something for her that her father grew,” he said.

MacKay’s father was also a carver, and a folk artist who inspired him to start carving at the age of five. A few years ago, MacKay quit his carpentry job to work as a carver full-time.

He’s created hundreds of sculptures, sentimental pieces depicting family dogs, for example, or of a beloved grandfather who was a fisher. Other pieces he’s made were used as props for television.

“For me, as an artist, well, it’s a passion,” he said.

 

N.S. wood carver makes sculptures from trees downed by Fiona

 

Jay MacKay says that after post-tropical storm Fiona hit, clients started bringing in pieces of wood from trees that held sentimental value for them that had been downed by the storm.

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A misspelled memorial to the Brontë sisters gets its dots back at last

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LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.

More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.

The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.

They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.

“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”

It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.

Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”

Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.

“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Calvin Lucyshyn: Vancouver Island Art Dealer Faces Fraud Charges After Police Seize Millions in Artwork

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In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.

Alleged Fraud Scheme

Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.

Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.

Massive Seizure of Artworks

In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.

Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.

Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed

In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.

Court Proceedings Ongoing

The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.

Impact on the Local Art Community

The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.

For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.

As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.

While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.

Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.

As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.

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Ukrainian sells art in Essex while stuck in a warzone – BBC.com

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Ukrainian sells art in Essex while stuck in a warzone  BBC.com

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