Chemainus is losing its claim to fame as the home of one of Canada’s top chainsaw carvers.
Liam Tromans has put his house up for sale and intends to return to his native Nova Scotia as soon as a deal is finalized and he can vacate the premises of his considerable stock of wood and materials to make carvings. It’s been seven and a half years since he set up shop here and quickly caught the attention of the public with his eye-catching nature carvings as motorists drove past his residence on Chemainus Road.
Eventually, many residents either purchased unique pieces for themselves or as gifts for others. Tromans specialized in doing commission carvings.
Related story: Tromans a master at his chainsaw carving craft
Born in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia where he worked as a logger for many years before moving to Chemainus to take up carving full-time, Tromans is relocating to Boularderie Island near Amherst. The move will be bittersweet for him in many ways since he’s made so many friends here, but the price was right and “the location is great for carving,” he said.
It’s close to Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and not far from the metropolitan area of Halifax, Nova Scotia, giving Tromans a wide expanse of market to sell his wares.
“I have a lot of clients in Ontario,” he added. “From where I’m located, it’s only a good day’s drive to where I sell a lot of carvings in Ontario.”
Tromans has always respected his neighbours for putting up with the frequent chainsaw noise and never wanted to abuse that privilege. The four-acre property he’s moving to in Nova Scotia is more isolated and will allow him to start his work day at 5 a.m. if desired.
“I get more productivity in the morning,” said Tromans, who turns 59 in December. “I don’t start (here) till 8 or 9. I feel like I have lots of energy to put in long carving days. I’m just not getting that here.
“But the neighbours are really good. I wouldn’t want to live next to a chainsaw carver.”
It will be tough to leave, he concedes, because “I love the Island, I love the neighbourhood, too.” Tromans is also thankful for all the support he’s received from the community here.
Costs are always a factor in any move and the $340,000 price tag for the property where Tromans and wife Jude will be residing was just too good to pass up.
“It’d be over a million here to buy something like that,” he indicated, as it’s near the ocean.
In the meantime, it’s been business as usual for Tromans until moving date and he continues to carve his wildlife masterpieces with new designs being developed all the time that demonstrate his creative side.
“I might be home for a while yet,” said Tromans. “I’ve got lots of wood to carve and finish up yet.
“I’m hoping to get a bit of a longer closing date so I can clean up all the cedar and stuff.”
Bears remain the most popular pieces that he cranks out in abundance and he’s constantly dabbling in doing different things.
“Bears are always the best sellers,” Tromans said. “There’s no bad bears. Every one sells.”
Related story: Chainsaw carver’s masterpieces reach new heights
Demonstrating his skills in public has always been appealing to Tromans and he’s frequently travelled to chainsaw carving competitions since living in Chemainus. He made a recent appearance in Powell River.
There were 10 carvers there and Tromans said he didn’t place, but “sales are always good there.”
He took a truckload of items and sold out. Tromans has been getting more product ready and is off again for Hope now.
“I’m doing small carvings to bring with me for sale,” he noted.
Competition gets serious in Hope. Tromans has won there before and is looking to take top spot again.
“I’ll give it my best shot as I usually do,” he enthused.
The competitors will have 27 hours in Hope to craft their best work.
“Hope and Chetwynd, too, get big crowds, especially if you’ve got 10 or 12 chainsaws going at once,” Tromans raved.
The competitions are huge for those communities and Tromans doesn’t intend to miss them even after he’s moved away.
“I’ll probably still come out for local competitions,” he said.
