In the spring of 2009 Ben Sax and volunteers transformed one of the atriua at Mary Woodward into an amphibian garden.  Overgrown plants were removed and a beautiful stream and pond were built in the middle of the space surrounded by native plants.  It is now a perfect setting for frogs and newts. The finishing touch was added last week in the form of a large wood carving celebrating salmon of the Northwest.

The carving was donated by a local artist – Jim Barton.  It is one of only two carvings that Jim, owner of Pudding River Wood Carving Studio created using an unusual technique. He took a dead redwood log and burned the center out.  Then he carved the salmon around the outside and finished it off by staining it a redwood color.  The firing changes the color of the wood to blond.

Jim Barton grew up in small logging communities of the Pacific Northwest. His Grandfather owned and operated a sawmill thirty years before Jim was born. “Grandad worked in the timber industry his whole life. My own father did the same. By the time I was a freshman in high school I was already working part time at the local saw mill pulling lumber on the green chain.”

The transformation from a third generation logger to an artist carving deities in wood has been a major life change for Jim. “When I look at people around me I realize that my life is representative of what many people are also experiencing. We have all been affected to some degree by the prevailing environmental economic influences. On a more subtle level, we also share the experience of a profound shift taking place in the way we are feeling and perceiving our world. Carving deities in wood is simply how this shift is manifesting in my life. We all seem to be searching for deeper meaning and understanding within our given life context. This is a common thread that we all are sharing during these times.”