MAY 2020 Wearing a face shield for protection from flying debris and wood shavings and a mask underneath the shield to filter out dust, artist Chuck Weygand uses the larger lathe in his shop to create unique bowls from Minnesota wood. Photos by Lorie Skarpness/Enterprise.
Retirement gift brought out
INNER ARTIST Chuck Weygand connects with the spirit of wood By Lorie Skarpness lskarpness@parkrapidsenterprise.com
“I grew up on a lake south of Brainerd,” he said. “For our retirement home, we wanted a place on huck Weygand of rural Akeley a small lake. We looked at 15 to 20 had no idea that a retirement properties before we found Wilgift of a lathe three years ago would liams Lake, and that’s where we lead to a new chapter as an artist. settled. There are only a handful “I had a chemistry and math of year-round residents, and most major and worked as a quality conare retired. People are so friendly trol manager for a filtration compaaround here, and we love the peace ny for almost 30 years,” he said. “It and quiet. And I love all of the trees. was all about following formulas. I It’s kind of an ordinary house, but it never thought of myself as an arthas this pole barn that I made into ist. When I started using the lathe, my shop. At our previous house, it opened up something inside of I used the garage for my shop, so me that I didn’t know was there. I whenever I wanted to work we had found out I had an artist inside and to back the cars out. Some of the it’s a passion I really enjoy.” wood used to make bowls comes Weygand had experience making from our own property. I might furniture by following design plans. Weygand is planning to use the tall come across a tree in the woods that “Bowl turning is very different maple slabs behind him to make a is dead and use part of that.” from that,” he said. bathroom vanity top with a live-edge for Last summer, he sold his bowls at Weygand said he learned to use their home on Williams Lake. The piece Green Scene market and the Leech his lathe to make bowls by exper- of wood he is holding is a box elder burl Lake Art Show in Walker. He also imenting after watching a whole that he made into a live-edge bowl. sells bowls on Etsy (etsy.com/shop/ bunch of Youtube videos. rockyshoresbowls). “When I first started using the lathe, the advice I The largest bowl he has made was 14 inches in got was to buy a big block of wood and play with it,” diameter, while the smallest is three or four inches. he said. “The guy at the store also warned me using “The characteristics of each piece of wood dictate a lathe is addictive, and he was right.” what it’s going to be,” he said. “I might start out with an idea of what a bowl should look like and the
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INNER ARTIST: Page 2
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Weygand and his wife moved to the Akeley area in 2017 after an extensive search for lake property.
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