What are you at? This is it: Fortune Bay totem poles
Henri Gamache combines art skills with inspiration from his retirement home
Henri Gamache, a retired traffic sign maker from Manitoba, says he found a surprising artistic pursuit when he moved to the Burin Peninsula community of Fortune.
He said his new hobby of making totem poles came courtesy of a gift from his new neighbours.
"They brought me a log, I did a small one, about 10 feet high."
Gamache, who also trained as a graphic artist, brings his skills of woodworking and painting to the totem poles.
He uses a lot of imagery that he finds in his new hometown of Fortune in his work.
A couple of his large totem poles can be seen at locations along the Burin Peninsula Trailway for ATVs, and he has made another for a private collector.
He said if he can find logs large enough, he'll make more and incorporate more local themes into the work.
"I love living by the ocean. It's never the same from one day to another."
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