“Echoes of Elizabeth Bishop” Gallery: Profile of Artist Deverne Rushton

Deverne Rushton was born and raised in Truro, Nova Scotia. He presently lives in Londonderry, N.S., with his wife, Valerie. He has two daughters and a new grandson. Deverne loved to draw all his life, but did not have any formal training in chainsaw carving or chiseling. He originally bought his chainsaw to clean up some old apple trees on his property, but saw something in a tree and instead made a memorial of a St. Bernard he had lost. Of his work, Deverne says, “I always had an interest in art and drew a lot as a kid, and carving the dog kind of reignited that interest.” The rest is history; “Devo’s Doins Chainsaw Carving” was officially born. A large scarecrow was one of those apple trees, and was completely carved and chiseled while still in the ground. Since then, Deverne has carved many wood sculptures using only a chainsaw and chisels. “It’s just whatever comes out of my head and I never make anything twice.” His designs are created in his head and, for the most part, without an initial drawing to guide him. Deverne continues to delight with each new carving, some of which include scarecrows, hockey players, hen and chicks, a skiing St. Bernard, fishermen, a beaver taking a ride on a curling rock, and two bear cubs climbing to their pot of honey.

On a side note, Deverne is also a Handyman, and one of his jobs was helping take care of the Elizabeth Bishop House.

You can see more of Deverne's work by clicking here.

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Ed. Note: As a former owner of the EB House, I can attest to Deverne’s skill and dedication to his craft. His help was invaluable. The above image shows a couple of his carvings on the verandah of the house.