|
Article by:
PAUL HUTCHINGS and BETTE ELLY KLIMITZ
TOWN CRIER
So what does a surgeon to do after he retires? According to Dr. Hugh Thomson, cutting is still a way of life, just on different materials.
Thomson is a former pediatric plastic surgeon at the Hospital for Sick Children. Upon his recent retirement he was looking for something to fill his time, and woodcarving was just what the doctor ordered.
His skill level has brought him to the point where today he is teaching at the Academy of Artisans on Eglinton Ave. West. He is also an executive member of the Ontario Wood Carvers Association.
Thomson had been building wooden furniture for years, but his interest in carving began when his children were playing hockey and was he asked by one of the other hockey dads for some help building some furniture. He saw a dish that the man had carved, and was so impressed that he decided to give it a try.
"I went up to his workshop and watched him and then I decided, as I was making a wall clock at that time, that I would (also) carve the frame, which won at the CNE exhibition in the novice classification," says Thomson. "That launched me into the enthusiastic field of woodcarving."
He says his 45 years as a surgeon greatly helped him reach his present skill level.
"I think it gave me an opportunity to see a finished project before you start. That is what one has to do to become a reconstructive plastic surgeon: you have to see your endpoint before you start. Being a plastic surgeon taught me many things and it in itself was a great teacher. It teaches one patience because that is a necessity in woodcarving."
But these days Thomson considers himself an artist and teacher. The redirection of his surgical talents into carving in local woods, such as basswood and butternut, seems to him like a natural transition. He enjoys the challenges of creating esthetically appealing masterpieces, ranging from deep relief carvings of children to the bust of an Apache warrior, and many clock cabinets. He says the same feelings of creativity are present when working with the healing surgical knife and the blades and gouges used to carve wood.
His woodcarving students begin their first class with a visual display of work from former students to motivate them. Students then receive a tutorial on the tools they will be using, and once the student decides on a subject, a pattern is drawn and a rough cut is made from the butternut wood. Then they get down to work, learning the skill of woodcarving using the correct hand positions on the tools and knives.
"I think that we as teachers learn far more than the students, although I am very proud of them," Thomson says. "So basically we bask in the reflection of the success of our students. That is great pride for the teacher."
Article reprinted with permission from the North Toronto Town Crier.
|
