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<< Previous   of   Next >> Kristi O’Harran / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Sue Banks and Chad Hass will display wood sculptures at a show at the Ken Baxter Senior/Community Center in Marysville on Saturday.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, November 4, 2009 Wood artists inspired by what they find By Kristi O'Harran, Herald Columnist They should bronze Marvin Nehring of Arlington. He is the perfect example of why folks should check out activities at senior and community centers. Nehring, 62, retired after 37 years in the telecommunications business where he fulfilled all career goals, he said. “I wanted to leave that world,” Nehring said. “And I didn’t want to just watch TV or play cards. I wanted to use my hands and develop hobbies.” He dropped by the Ken Baxter Senior/Community Center in Marysville and chatted with center manager Maryke Burgess. She suggested he try a class. He gave wood sculpture a whirl. “I sat down at a table and people introduced themselves to me,” Nehring said. “I’ve gained about 60 friends.” His work, he said, releases what is hidden inside a piece of wood. “Like being in a boat on a river,” Nehring said, “You work with the current. You work with the cells of the wood.” He will show creations including a cowboy boot and a little bear that rolls at the 2009 Artistry in Nature Show planned for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the center, 514 Delta Ave. in Marysville. See work from students in driftwood sculpture, gourd and woodcarving classes offered through the Marysville Parks and Recreation Department. Student teacher Sue Banks, 61, from Marysville, will show sculptures from found wood. Let’s say you are out in the forest and you find a piece of interesting wood. You clean, finish and display the object, often on a wooden base you finished, too. “We do a lot of sanding,” Banks said. “This art form takes a bit of patience.” One of her pieces is shaped just like a goose. The material for the piece was found on a wood pile. “Anyone could do this,” she said. “We do no carving.” Those who take up this hobby will forever look at trees differently, she said. Some of his found wood is finished to look like whimsical bonzai, said creator Chad Hass, 68, from Marysville. When he goes traveling in a recreational vehicle, he takes along wood projects to work on at campgrounds. He said he could sell his work, but what’s the point? He may put in 450 hours, he said, and sell something for $450, so that would be like making $1 an hour. Hass has finished pieces of wood given to him from friends and he gives it back as a gift. He has a piece of redwood at home he is still studying. Hass said he doesn’t have a clue what it’s going to be. His secret weapon, interestingly enough, is a deer antler, he said, used to rub on wood to bring up the natural color and grain. He said finding wood to finish is rewarding. “I saw ‘Wow’ a lot when I find something,” Hass said. “You can work on it anywhere, any time.” Shawna Stout, 44, from Marysville, likes to work with gourds. She said folks at the gourd class make all different kinds of designs. Gourds run the gamut, from painted, carved, beaded, filled with seeds, seedless, top on, top off etc. Some in the class buy gourds online or for 75 cents from a farmer. “I think of a gourd as a canvas,” she said. Stout said folks often go out to lunch after class. Like Nehring, attending a program at a senior and community center can be a path to friendship. More than 40 artists will get together to show and sell their work Saturday. There won’t be Christmas doodads or baked goods for sale. “This is not a craft show,” Burgess said. “This will have a gallery feel.” Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451, oharran@heraldnet.com. Art show The 2009 Artistry in Nature Show is planned for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Ken Baxter Senior Community Center, 514 Delta Ave. in Marysville. See work from students in Driftwood Sculpture, Gourd and Woodcarving classes offered through the Marysville Parks and Recreation Department. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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