Bill's chips off the old blocks

scotto

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Feb 15, 2004
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The Beach Strip
#1
Posted with permission from the Hamilton Spectator
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CHIPS OF THE OLD BLOCK


ByMolly Hayes

Next time you're strolling along the beach trail, keep an eye out for Bill Le Blanc.

You'll catch him under a bright blue tent off Van Wagners Beach Road, right near Barangas.

As long as the weather's nice, he'll be hunched over a poplar tree stump, earbuds in and sunglasses on as he chisels away at the wood, flicking chips of bark on the grass around him.

"I can't really say I'm an artist, it's just turned into something I like to do," the 58-year-old sculptor says, though there are four carefully crafted stumps along the trail that beg to differ.

There's a beaver in the middle of Confederation Park by the boat launch and a turtle near the former campground.

Just east of Hutch's, there's a foursome of mermaids - sirens of the sea, he calls them - and now, this latest creation, the spirit of the tree, a gargoyle-like creature that, when it's done, will look as if it's pushing itself up out of the stump, dragging the roots behind it.
Full story;
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/3890087-bill-s-chips-off-the-old-blocks/














 

Drogo

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Feb 8, 2005
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#3
Keep going Bill. These are great and I love the use of material that is left ugly by cuttingl of trees or trees that come down in storms. A piece of art is definitely nicer to look at and saves the back pulling the stumps.
 

scotto

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Feb 15, 2004
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The Beach Strip
#4
Keep going Bill. These are great and I love the use of material that is left ugly by cuttingl of trees or trees that come down in storms. A piece of art is definitely nicer to look at and saves the back pulling the stumps.
A picture from showing Bill's finished work (I assume) for this stump, the next one is likely his next victim. I do see other old stumps around and it's looks like the Conservation Authority was just cutting them down as low as they could, yes Bill's art looks much better.

I don't know how he gets them done as he stops and talks to every person who stops by and there were many for the short time I was there, it took me 15 minutes just get him alone for a picture.



 
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