Greg Apland is proud of his feathered friends.
When he sits in the sun room of his home, he鈥檚 surrounded by birds. Different breeds sit on their perches, some preparing for flight while others rest. They鈥檙e all frozen in time.
Apland鈥檚 newest bird has a special place in his heart. It鈥檚 a snowy owl sitting on a rock, its head turned quizzically. Apland is gentle when he moves the bird, careful not to drop it on the floor. He鈥檚 spent far too much time on the snowy owl to be reckless with it.
Apland is a carver. He creates bird statues out of wood. And he鈥檚 received a huge recognition for his years of hard work.
Apland won the Best in Show (Novice) for Wildfowl award at the 2018 Prairie Canada Carving Championship Show & Competition in Winnipeg. The three-day event was held from Apr. 20-22.
鈥淚t was kind of humbling,鈥� Apland said.
Apland began carving in 2004 when he met Bob Lavender, an expert carver who鈥檚 won competitions and has been featured in magazines for 30 years. The two men hit it off and Lavender encouraged Apland to hone his carving skills.
鈥淢y first one [was] a little humingbird,鈥� Apland said, pointing to a tiny wooden creature in his sun room.
Lavender tutored Apland and other like-minded Yorktonites. When Lavender moved to Saskatoon, the pair stayed in touch.
鈥淗e鈥檚 been really good to me,鈥� Apland said.
Apland, using basswood, created more bird carvings with a group in Yorkton. Every three months or so, he鈥檇 travel up to Saskatoon to talk and carve with Lavender. That鈥檚 when his work on the snowy owl began.
鈥淗e did a big owl and I did a little one and he critiqued me as we did it,鈥� Apland said.
Lavender and Apland worked on their pieces for years, finally completing them early this year. Lavender encouraged Apland to accompany him to the carving competition in Winnipeg.
Apland didn鈥檛 expect much, but he brought his snowy owl anyway. It won round after round of judging on its way to a Best in Show victory. Apland was blown away.
鈥淚 never knew what I was getting into, so I couldn鈥檛 even get worked up about it because I didn鈥檛 expect anything,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was an eye-opener.鈥�
鈥淚 thought it was a nice piece,鈥� Lavender said, complimenting Apland鈥檚 craftsmanship.
Apland鈥檚 not sure if he鈥檒l enter another competition, although he鈥檚 grateful for the award.
鈥淸It was] pretty neat,鈥� he said.
Reflecting on his decade-plus of carving, Apland said his favourite part of the process is unveiling the bird鈥檚 eyes.
鈥淎fter you paint it, you take a knife to scrape off the overspray that鈥檚 on the eyes,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e holding it and doing that, it seems to come alive.
鈥淚t鈥檚 weird, but is it ever neat.鈥�
