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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1980-11-26, Page 34vommill111 w44,z4v. to Hay Municipal Telephone System on your new building From NITH VALLEY CONSTRUCTION LTD. General Contractors We appreciate doing the work for you and we hope the building will meet all of your pres4nt and future needs (1 0% OFF PLUS AT LEAST EVERYTHING IN THE STORE • GIFT CERTIFICATES • LAYAWAYS 1. • Light Refreshments will be served Dedication of the building will be held at 8:00 p.m. Best Wishes to HAY MUNICIPAL TELEPHONE SYSTEM On your New Building We were pleased to supply and install a Westinghouse Heat Pump. Prestige Energy Service Stratford, Ontario 271-8772 Best Wishes to HAY MUNICIPAL TELEPHONE SYSTEM on your New Building from Richard Bedard Construction Ltd. New Homes, Cottages, Additions Patio Decks, Awning etc. Complete Backhoe Service" • RR 2, Zurich Phone 236-4679 Hay Municipal Telephone System INVITES THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO Friday November 28, 1980 7:00 - 9:30 p.m. at the New BUSINESS OFFICE and WORK CENTRE The Hay Municipal Telephone Business Office and Work Centre is located north on Concession road 10 (first sideroad east of Zurich) From grey rock to carving Pa e ISA Tirttp•pAci atrt, Novimbfor :19110 SOAPSTONE CARVING — Manning Jamieson carves soapstone as a retirement hobby. The Grand Cove resident works with rasps and files to create a mountain lion. Around his neck is a surgeon's mask to protect him from the fine dust he creates. Staff photo For an excellent selection of gift ideas for the entire family. all ladies winter long coats By .MARY' AlltikiltS0141 One day it's a chunk of dusty, .dirty grey rock. The next day it has been trans, •formed into a smooth and 'shiny green seagull, contrary popular belief,. it's not just Eskimos, who have the,' skill to work with soapstone. Manning Jamieson, a three year resident of Grand. Cove. Estates in. Grand Bend, is a soapstone artist, Jamieson, who retired from his job in Montreal and. moved to Grand Hend, has taught himself soapstone carving, and works IAA as a retirement hobby. He makes. it clear that he is not doing Eskimo Tarvings. Eskimo work, he explains, is often abstract, while his work is far more detailed. Jamieson became in- terested in soapstone Car- ving when his daUghter gave, him, a chunk of soapstone as a Christmas present, The outline of a seagull could be seen in the rock, and Jamieson carved it out. Soon a seagul took. shape. He began by .using .files,he had around the house. He soon bought a new set of files, and he now has about 20 from which to cheese. He also has six rasps. .Files and rasps are similar, but wilik a file has grooved cuts, a rasp has punched out holes to, do the wearing of the stone, Jamieson had no previous experience in artwork, but admits that a certain amount: of talent must run. in his family. His brother is Ron Jamieson, a well-known artist in Qtiebec,. famous for his farm and country scenes. ".And my Dad could draw," Jamieson adds, For his first few carvings, Jamieson had no in- strections or .books to tell him. the procedure. During. the past year or so, he been. able to find a few books On the subject of seapstone carving, but they are very rare,. He has also gathered large collection of animal picture books. Before beginning a carving, he will sketch the animal he intends to do, from all angles. For example, he was recently working on, a mountain lien. He sketehed the front view of the big cat from a picture in a book. He was on his own to come up with the back, sides and top views. Then he starts filing the soapstone, to match the sketches. He buys the soapstone in large chunks from an arts NURSERY CRAFT SALE — Mabel Gill of Grand Bend stands with some of her Christmas ceramics that were for sale at the craft show put on by the nursery school mothers at the United Church. Saturdciy. Staff photo possibilities of closing one school in the Bosanquet, Kinnaird or, Grand Bend area. - the clerk asked the council to come up with guidelines for the ,,new- incoming councillors ,on what con- stitutes a meeting and how they will be paid. - it was decided that Steve Stellingwerff would be notified about buying a sign permit for the new sign on his garage. - Judy Uniac and Bill Baird both said good bye to their fellow council members and both said that they had en- joyed their work with the village. study is being done to come to some conclusions. The parents and taxpayers pre- sent will be asked to elect a representative on the study committee. Sharen suggested that if peciple met at the school at 7:00 p.m., they could decide on a representative. Sharen said that he is primarily concerned about the school situation as a parent, and secondly as reeve of Grand Bend. and craft shop, near Kit- chener, The stone usually comes from Asbestos, Quebec, Jamieson says., He usually buys it in ,20, to 20 pound blocks. Because of the limited quantity of the soapstone, it has become very expensive, Jamieson says the price is around $1. pound, His last purchase was a 28 pound chunk for $30, Jamieson then cuts pieces. off the big block in sizes suitable for the animals he wants to carve, For this he uses a. hack saw. The big. block is grey and when cut, creates a fine dust. He uses files and rasps to shape a creature, and then a fine rasp for detail such as eyes or claws. Jamieson wears. a. surgeon's mask to keep the dust out of his nose and mouth when he's working • with the stone, An animal might take him. 15 to 25 hours. He just works a few hoUrs a day on his hobby, ..and stretches. it over a week ,or two. Smoother creatures such as a seal or whale with less detail are completed in 10 to 12. hours, Once Jamieson is satisfied with the work he's done with his files and rasp4, he goes, over it with a piece of fine, wet emery paper. This is when the green and aqua colours that make soapstone so attractive start to show' up. Until this, point, the carving is grey. For the final step, Jamieson puts mineral oil on his hands, and then rubs the carving all over. The oils Make the carving shine. Jameson says that Eskimo people have enough natural oil in their hands to polish their carvings without mineral oil. Among his works are bears, mountain lions, birds, seals and whales. Because the soapstone is quite brittle, it is not possible to make something with a long neck such as a giraffe or a. swan. Even birds with long, wings tend to break easily. Jamieson has six grand- children, and he keeps busy making small animals for them. Ducks, rabbits and squirrels van be made of pieces which are cut away from bigger chunks of stone, Jamieson sa s that the "primary requirement" for working with soapstone is "unlimited patience". And although all of his works have turned, out perfectly, he says he often gets discouraged along the way. "I've never made one yet, when I haven't thought I'd break it up, Ask my wife," he says, OUR REG. PRICES Special rack of girls $ Winter Long Coats Sizes 8-14 Values to $64.98 F Southcott Pines roads Continued from page 4A resignation of village foreman Garry Desjardine. "He's done a good job," Sharen said. Council members agreed that he would be hard to &Place. They decided to advertise for the position immediately. Desjardine said that assistant Paul Bossenberry would be able to carry on for the time being. - council decided to appoint Keith Crawford as a resource person for the school study committee. The Board of Education asked that one member be selected to supply information on the study looking into the School study meeting Continued from page 4A Bend informed on the goings on at the board of education in Sarnia. This is the first meeting on the consolidated school study to be held in Grand Bend. The board has already met with parents atBosanquet and Kinnaird schools. The board has suggested that one of the three schools may have to be closed due to ' declining enrolment. The 7141tRydigiled,, tftt:i'gr ogters:NrofttgeislftzatietectzWITAttgttlFAtig A Shop early for Christmas .24)1:0.0iv4410 ;1»32t7i44,W4*5•A$;It Wiz) Ah*•wir4-4 Congratulations to Hay Municipal Telephone System On Your New Building from Snider, Reichard & March Engineer and Architects Waterloo, Ontario FINISHED PRODUCTS — A bear and a whgle are two of Manning Jamieson's creations. The beautiful green creatures were carved from a chunk of grey, dusty soapstone.