The wait was worth it for chainsaw art auction bidders Carol Worthington and her husband Willy Manson.
Once they saw the raven bench Jason Soper carved out of a chunk of wood during their first visit to the B.C. Northern Exhibition on Saturday, they knew they just had to own it. But Soper's beautiful piece of work wasn't among the items up for bid Saturday night and there weren't enough people for an auction Sunday morning, so Worthington and Manson had to come back in the afternoon.
Finally, after a two-hour wait, the bidding began and, to Soper's disappointment, there weren't a lot of buyers present.
"Blow the dust off your wallets," urged Soper, standing off in the distance behind the auctioneer who was announcing the increasing value of the bids as people raised their hands.
Bidding for the full-sized bench hit $500 and Worthington and Manson were delighted they got what they came for. They live on an acreage west of the city and Worthington couldn't wait to see the reactions of her grandchildren when they see it.
"It's going to go around our fire pit," said Worthington.
"It's beautiful. We would have paid a lot more for it."
The 18-inch-high raven took Soper only an hour to complete, while a helper built the bench on which it rests.
"I usually sell those for $1,000," Soper said.
Several of Soper's carvings were among the items sold in the auction Sunday and most of the successful bidders walked away with great deals. Originally from Belize, Soper lives in the Shuswap area and has been carving art with a chainsaw for 15 years. Considering the abundance of trees in beautiful B.C. he doesn't have to go far to find carving material.
"The forest is my bank," said Soper. "I believe in myself fully and it works. It just comes to you if you believe in yourself. That's where it all comes from."
This is the first year the BCNE has had a chainsaw carving competition and it was a popular addition to the fair.
Twice a day for four days, artists created amazing animals out of wood.
It attracted HGTV celebrity Paul Frenette and his son Jacob, whose intricate sea turtles/eels were the obvious choice as winners of the carving competition.
The large eagle, old trapper with a rifle, and gargoyle guarding a human skull were also huge hits with the public.
