Saturday, October 15, 2022 | Country Acres • Page 1
Country Acres Saturday, October 15, 2022
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
Volume 9, Edition 47
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Carving out Isolation during pandemic elicits hidden talent BY JAN LEFEBVRE | STAFF WRITER
ROCKVILLE – The coronavirus pandemic slowed down a lot of activity, but it was the catalyst for Mary Molitor’s new adventure. When the cleaning business she ran with her sister for 23 years suddenly came to a slow crawl, she used the time to learn a new artform. “I always loved chainsaw carvings,” Molitor said. “I don’t know why, but I just decided to try it.” In just a few short years, Molitor’s experimentation has become her business. Mare’s Bears & More offers Molitor’s own style of
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painted chainsaw carvings at craft fairs and online. Molitor takes care of her granddaughter three days a week, but the rest of her time is about artmaking. She chainsaw carves two days a week and many evenings. Weekends are also used for carving unless she is showing her creations at craft fairs. Her carvings come in various sizes and subject matters. She has made gnomes, cardinals, eagles, turtles, dogs and more. She also carves wooden pumpkins, trees, American flags and other objects. Molitor even once carved a grumpy old man a customer requested. She least enjoys carving dogs because they take so much longer for her. Her very first chainsaw carving was of a bear. “I think my kids lied to me because they told me it was good, so I kept going,” Molitor said. “But, it
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really wasn’t good.” Molitor began watching YouTube videos to learn chainsaw carving techniques and hone her craft. Once she had carved and painted enough sculptures to feel confident, she brought them to the Annandale Flea Market. The reactions of shoppers let her know she had put her own stamp on chainsaw art. “People would say that the faces were so cool,” Molitor said. “They said they all have such different characters. I guessed then that it had become my own style.” Her family was noticing as well. “My one son said, ‘It’s surprisingly good,’” Molitor said.
Molitor page 2
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Heaven on a dead-end road Hillman
16 Vineyard of the north Parkers Prairie
22 FFA student Morris
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Working the night shift Grace Jeurissen column
21 Country cooking Cold Spring
24 Growing a family tradition Pierz
22 Carrion beetles, fungi Nancy Packard-Leasman column
27 Colors of fall
13 Animals we love Melrose