~ by Dorothy Jeanne Engst the Chemainus Writers
Each of us contain
untapped gifts and
talents, however only
a few people dig deep
and pull them out to
share with the rest of
the world. Desmond
Pratt is one of those few.
Born in Moosejaw,
Des spent the first
20 years of his life in
Saskatchewan. In 1946
he made two major
changes by moving to Ontario and getting married;
his wife's name is Marjorie.
Ontario became their home for 45 years where Des
progressed through several careers. He and Marjorie
also worked weekends maintaining their 85 acre hobby
farm and restoring the home located there, which was
originally built in 1832.
In 1990 Vancouver Island called to the Pratt's and they made their home at Arbutus Ridge. There's something
about the Islands that seems to help people draw on those gifts I mentioned earlier. Since being out West
Des has published a book entitled 'Saskatchewan Blew me Away' which is about the four phases in his life -
Saskatchewan, Ontario, their Old Farm and the Cowichan Valley.
In 1997 Des had an accident while working in his yard. During his time of recovery a friend suggested he take up carving.
After trying his hand working with wood; he felt he wanted to experiment with another medium. This is when he found his joy
working with soapstone. When he crafts a piece, Des prefers to do the majority of work by hand. Starting with a 45 pound block
of stone he'll end up with 25 pounds of dust and a 20 pound carving. He used to keep a sign by his works of art that said 'Do Not
Touch!' He's since taken it away. A person just can't resist the pleasure of running their hand along the cool smooth surfaces.
Des's works are a delight to the senses.
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