Local artist Xavier Fernandes is putting his skills to use by creating legacy bowls out of the trees being removed from downtown Orillia.
Once he noticed some general discontent around the downtown tree-removal project, he asked himself, “How could you spin that into something more positive?” As a wood turner, the answer appeared right before him.
Being an artist for more than 30 years who has lived in Orillia most of his life, Fernandes thought to preserve a piece of Orillia history for anyone who would enjoy it.
After contacting the appropriate officials and obtaining approval from the city, Fernandes worked to bring as many pieces of the downtown trees as he could to his shop. Often working alone, hauling tree limbs in his vehicle, the process involves laborious collecting and cutting, as well as meticulously logging the information he wishes to preserve.
Each bowl Fernandes creates will come with a card that highlights the type of tree, where the wood was collected from, the date it was cut down, and a number indicating its position in the series. For example, it could be from the honey locust outside Mariposa Market, with the date it was cut down, and the third bowl turned in the project.
Why bowls?
“Because it’s functional,” said Fernandes.
He described selecting bowls as the item for his project because preserving history in this way makes it possible to pass the items down between generations, and bowls are useful for everyone.
“They can almost become an heirloom. These bowls will last forever if they take care of them,” he said.
Since he began his journey as an artist and joining the Orillia Fine Arts Association, Fernandes has worked with many others in the arts community. He sold his first piece in 1993, joined a group of artists to open Zephyr Art Gallery in 2000, and designed a print of the Orillia Museum of Art and History clock tower.
For Fernandes, exploring new methods, new mediums, and learning new skills is the highlight of what he does. He welded for a time but became interested in wood turning. After only six months, he needed to upgrade his equipment, joined a wood-turning guild, and discovered more about the craft.
“You never stop learning,” he said. “Even when you think you know everything, it still might not be the only way to do something, just because you’ve always done it one way.”
Now, after turning for six years, Fernandes works with the wood to try to preserve each as a one-of-a-kind piece. He has learned how to work with the flaws and details of the wood to make the items similar in their final product yet still different in their own way.
For the past two weeks, Fernandes has been working to collect pieces from all of the downtown trees being removed, including branches and trunks.
“I wanted to give them a second life as a bowl,” he said.
His favourite part of the process when he’s turning the trees into bowls is “when the chips are flying.”
Visions for the project include a show and reception on Dec. 5. Fernandes will have a display of bowls completed and he hopes to garner more interest in the work. He would also like to “partner with local downtown businesses to make it a successful community event,” he said.
Since the downtown Orillia legacy bowls are a celebration of local history, he favours keeping the Dec. 5 event among local people and businesses in general, making it all community based and driven.
“It’s a bit of history that’s going to disappear,” he said of the trees.
