What's the temperature where you are???

[LTAY1946]

82° and partly cloudy

 

[Nym]

Tuesday 21st of May 9.6a.m. Calm and sunny, a nice dry lawn this morning, not even any dew. 18.5 / 24.1kph WSW, Hg 50%, 16C / 60.8F top of 18C / 64F. Shower or two. Marine wind warning.

Moon is 93.3%

Beechworth chainsaw carver Kevin Duffy makes art from Californian giant sequoia struck by lightning​

21 hours ago​

With permission from local council, Beechworth chainsaw artist Kevin Duffy is busy turning this former giant into public art, as a seat of reflection. (ABC News: Ashlee Aldridge)

Two decades ago, Kevin Duffy saw someone creating art with a chainsaw and thought to himself, "I wonder if I could do that?"

Until then, he had only used a chainsaw to cut firewood.

These days, the 68-year-old self-trained carver from Beechworth in north-east Victoria makes his own masterpieces from tree stumps.

"I've ruined a few chainsaws along the way," Mr Duffy said.

"There's a lot of stopping and starting, walking around and having a look to see what's wrong with it —and eventually, you spot it."

The hobby has taken him to America on four occasions, where he says chainsaw carving is hugely popular.

"One event I went to in Pennsylvania had 250 people competing in it," he said.

"As soon as I saw what they were doing, I put my saw down and thought, 'I'm giving up, they're like working beside Michelangelo'."

With no stencils or design plans, Mr Duffy's creations are usually borne from trial and error, sourcing materials from wherever he can.

"You walk around the log and ask it what it wants to be, sometimes it talks back," he joked.

Turning destruction into art​

In January, Beechworth was hit by wild storms which swept across the state.

During the event, a lightning strike all but destroyed the town's tallest tree, a Californian giant sequoia believed to have been planted in the 1860s in Centennial Park.

"It split it straight down the middle," Mr Duffy said.

After being given the go-ahead from the local council, he is now slowly transforming the redwood stump into what he hopes will eventually be a "seat of reflection" for locals and visitors to enjoy.

"I've carved some native animals into it — there's a goanna, platypus and kangaroo, and I've just started on the koala," he said.

"There's also the face of a nurse, because these were once the hospital convalescing gardens."

Demand for woodworking classes 'skyrockets'​

Victorian Woodworkers Association president Stephen Ziguras says interest in working with wood is becoming increasingly popular.

The Melbourne-based association was formed during a revival of wood crafting in the 1970s, and more than four decades later it runs beginner classes several nights a week and on weekends.

"We've noticed the demand for them has really skyrocketed probably over the last 10 years," Mr Ziguras said.

While member numbers have always been strong, in recent years the number of women joining the association has also significantly increased.

"Traditionally it's been a very male-heavy hobby and occupation, but now we're seeing a lot more women woodworkers and a lot of them are becoming professionals as well," he said.

"We've now got far more people wanting to get into our classes than we can meet the demand for and probably about half of the students are women now."

An emotional connection​

Mr Ziguras said working with wood had many appeals.

"I think people are attracted to wood because of its organic nature, people feel an emotional, sort of visceral, connection to wood," he said.

"Whenever you make something for someone, or you go to a show where there is wood, people always touch it, there is always this feeling of being connected to wood.

"I think because it is an organic material, we sort of feel like we are closer to it than other materials like stone, or concrete or metal."

And while it's not an easy skill to learn, the end results are often worth it.

"You could say that every single piece of wood is unique because people often ask about colours and although timber does have different colours for similar species, every piece you get is different," he said.

ABC

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[kikiruru]

Feels 84 Monday 716 pm

 

[007Sean]

Monday: : 7:43pm, 91°F, high today was 97°F, humidity 56%, wind SE @ 13mph, clear, sunny.

 

[LTAY1946]

67° and clear

 

[EmmaDonovan]

9:30 PM
89F
12% humidity
hazy

This was our air quality today.

 

[chrissynemetz]

59°F mostly cloudy and windy
12:39 a.m.

 

[Jenbirdee]

 

[Nym]

Another sunny day

 

[janiedoe]

Good morning all y'all
It's 75 with 91% humidity
High today 90 & overcast
25% chance of rain