LITTLE CURRENT—Carver Kings, the travelling show named for the hit HGTV television series that showcased the work of Paul Frenette, son Jacob and other professional carvers, will be at Haweater Weekend and the carver artists hope to see plenty of spectators while they’re stationed at the Little Current fire hall from Thursday, August 2 to Tuesday, August 6.
Paul Frenette explained that he and son Jacob were two of the featured carvers on the show Carver Kings that ran for one season.
“It was a lot of fun,” Mr. Frenette said. “It was really great working with Pioneer (Log Homes), the unlimited wood and fantastic projects.”
“You get to be the centre of attention and are basically babied for four months of your life,” he shared. “It was kind of hard to go back to reality.”
Mr. Frenette’s son Jacob caught the carving bug while on the TV show and has been carving full-time ever since.
As for Mr. Frenette, carving wasn’t always his life’s passion. “I was a corporate IT manager,” he said, “an automation systems engineer.”
One day, a sculpture based on the famous Easter Island larger-than-life monolithic heads was stolen from Mr. Frenette’s property. He was angry, to say the least. At the same time, some trees were being removed nearby and when he was asked if he would like to keep the logs for firewood he said ‘yes.’
Mr. Frenette was about to get busy with his chainsaw when he had a thought. “I was still mad about the statue being stolen and I looked down at the log and thought, ‘I can make a face out of this’ (referencing the big imposing faces of the Easter Island statues far away in the Pacific Ocean).” And he did just that.
“My work as an automation systems engineer came in handy,” he explained. “I can picture what it is I want to create in my head and roll it around, getting a view of every angle.”
Before that day, Mr. Frenette didn’t consider himself a particularly creative person—he didn’t draw, paint or sketch—but he seems to have found his niche.
Since that day and his time on Carver Kings, Mr. Frenette hasn’t looked back.
The Carver Kings, featuring the Frenettes, Doug Linglebach and maybe one other travelling carver who is yet to be announced, will set up shop at the Northeast Town Fire Hall parking lot from Wednesday through to the following Tuesday.
Mr. Frenette explained that they will carve various projects throughout the week and do two or three ‘quick carve’ pieces each day that will each take about an hour to create.
“We also take custom orders,” he added. “You can either contact us now or come to the fire hall and talk to us about what you want.”
When asked about the strangest order he’s ever received, he laughed. “An exotic dancer on a pole,” he admitted, “but I turned the order down.”
Popular items people like to see are, of course, fish and wildlife and lots of fantasy pieces like dragons, demons, gargoyles and wizards.
Almost all the carving is done using chainsaws, but there are some hand tools used for the fine finishing work.
Carver Kings will be being bringing some pre-made inventory to sell, but are also happy to take orders on-site. To view their inventory or to order a piece ahead of time, contact Mr. Frenette at sales@carverkings.com, visit their Facebook page facebook.com/carverkingspaulandjacob or check out their website carverkings.com.
