Goodrich – It wasn’t until Jerry Kendrick was 60-years-old that he discovered he had a new talent.
It all began when Kendrick was browsing the magazine rack at Barnes and Noble three years ago and found a couple of magazines about carving caricatures out of wood.
‘I became so enthralled with the magazines, because I had always wanted to carve wood for years. When I bought a step-by-step book that taught me the art of carving, I started to sculpt some of the things I saw in the magazines. I realized that I could look at a detailed picture of a sculpture and then duplicate it. I was surprised,? said Kendrick.
Getting to know other people in the community who carved wood was the next thing Kendrick said he wanted to do. ‘I joined the Flint Carvers, 3440 Morrish Road, Swartz Creek. An instructor at the club taught me a few more things about sculpting that I needed to know. When I realized some of my work was getting pretty good, I decided to enter my sculptures in a wood carving competition. So I entered a bust of a woman in a novice competition during my first year, just for fun,? he said. ‘The second year I was able to enter my work in the advanced competitions.?
The three categories Kendrick has entered his sculptures in are caricatures, Santas and bark. Over the past three years, Kendrick said he has earned 12 blue ribbons.
One of Kendrick’s favorite mediums that has earned him several awards is sculpting gnome houses out of cottonwood. He said he has to get the cottonwood shipped to him. The houses stand a couple of feet high and are extremely intricate. Tiny staircases are carved in what looks like a tree trunk that wind towards to the top of the sculpture to windows where a gnome would live.
‘It takes about three days to finish a house,? said Kendrick. ‘I have carved about 60 gnome houses so far.?
Kendrick said he gets a great deal of self-satisfaction in creating things out of wood. ‘I have a very deep interest to do it. I think it might be hereditary, because I am both German and Slovak. Way back when in Europe, the Czechs needed artisans to create more jobs and move their economy forward. Maybe that is where I inherited the talent to be a sculptor.?