Chris McDonald, Artist

Creative carver Chris McDonald was born in 1970 in Fort McMurray, Alberta. The son of a military mother, Chris and his family moved around a lot in their lifetime. In 1987 the family moved to Weymouth when they were posted to the area. They currently reside in Weymouth North at the mouth of the Sissiboo River.

Chris is a talkative, funny, easy-going man, but he likes to keep mainly to himself. He is content to work quietly in his work shop from dawn until dark or sometimes from dark until dawn. A lot of his carving is done at night because he starts working and before he realizes it, it is dark, or morning is just around the corner so he keeps working until the sun rises. Chris says it is nice to listen to the night sounds, the quiet all around him, and carve all through the night.

It was four years ago that Chris began to carve. He had been drawing all of his life and figured if he could draw something in 3D then he could also carve it in 3D, so he picked up a piece of wood and began doing just that. Chris finds carving to be very relaxing and very enjoyable. He is motivated to continue carving based on that very fact, as well as for the financial gain when he sells his pieces. He would eventually like to be able to build a garage and build his own airplane made entirely of wood. This type of airplane is called a DeHavilland Mosquito.

Chris’s carving comes from all natural talent. He had no formal training to become a carver, but did spend half a year at NSCAD doing a foundations program. However, he soon decided he would rather continue to work on his own, at his own pace, with his own talent, to carve and sell whatever came to mind.

Chris’s carvings consist of anything he can think of that interests him. He will try anything and everything. He does mostly 3D carvings, but also does some figure carving, and some figureheads. He would like to get into doing more figure carving as it is a challenge for him because it takes a lot of time and a lot of work to make the figure look real, like a real person or a real animal.

Not all of Chris’s pieces are large display carvings; some are so tiny they can be worn around the neck. He has been trying his hand lately at making small pendant carvings to sell as necklaces and the picture of the boat is one example. In addition to figures, 3D carvings, and jewelry, Chris designs and carves wooden signs for various merchants in the Weymouth area.

His creations are made out of many different types of wood. Some of his wood pieces come directly from the trees, and some of them are driftwood pieces that have been washed up on the beaches in and around the Weymouth area. According to Chris the best piece of wood to carve with is called padauk. This is a red wood that will give the carvings a reddish cast and also smells very nice during and after carving. Some of Chris’s pieces are made of maple and pine. The fish he is holding in the above photo is an example of a pine driftwood carving, but it also has a piece of kiln dried pine on it that Chris carved into a hand. He finds that pine wood works well for speed if he needs to carve something quickly. However pine is soft and not well suited for detailed work, so for pieces with great detail Chris prefers to use a hardwood.

Some of Chris’s art has been displayed locally, such as at Sissiboo Landing. The large soaring owl above the entrance of Sissiboo Landing is one of Chris’s creations. This enormous bird is not only an amazing piece of art; it was also a challenge in physics for Chris. The owl is 12.5 feet long and was carved in a 10 foot garage.

Advertising of Chris’s carvings is mainly through word of mouth. If you are interested in contacting him with inquires or to purchase a piece of his work, you can reach him at home by phone (902) 837-7447. Price ranges vary according to the size and the amount of time that Chris puts into his carvings. For example his pendants are approximately $30, with his larger carvings in the $600 and up range, and the largest ones are in the thousands of dollars.

When asked if he ever has a hard time giving up a piece of his art, Chris replied that although he feels more attached to some of his pieces than others, by the time he has finished a piece he is ready for it to be sold. He is ready for it to move out and be enjoyed and cherished by others.

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