Rick Nash Bark Canoe

While up north, I came across a beautiful 15 year old bark canoe hanging in the main store of Langford Canoe Company in Dwight. It was built by local craftsman Rick Nash. (Edit: NOVEMBER 5/09 - Recieved an email from Rick mentioning that the canoe was actually built by Ian Cameron of Dorset under Rick's guidance back in 1989)

Rick wrote the chapter on Birchbark canoe building in John Jennings' wonderfully illustrated text, The Canoe: A Living Tradition. I briefly met Rick and his wife Doris at the '08 WHCA Assembly in Peterborough where he had some fantastic models and photos of his work on display.

The fluorescent lighting in the store didn't make for the best photos, but this canoe sure is one heck of a beauty! What really caught my eye was the meticulous running lacing pattern under the outwale side and the pretty, decorative bow lacing. Here are the pics...


Hanging over the side door


Angled shot



Bow closeup



Narrow stitched and sealed gores


Closeup of running lashing

New Maple Maliseet from Rick Nash

Master Paddle Artisan Rick Nash of Woodland Heirlooms has posted some some pics of a gorgeous new Maliseet style paddle. A while back, Rick sent me a photo of a maple paddle just taking shape in his workshop.


Paddle being shaped with an axe
Here are some shots of his finished work...


Maple Maliseet Class Paddle
Full Size: 66" in length
Blade Width: 5 7/8"
Incising done using nail and jack-knife
The etched patterns on the blade are similar to the circa 1878 York Sunbury Museum paddle (also made from maple) with the grip and black painted shaft resembling one of the paddles from the collection at the New Brunswick Museum.


c. 1878 Maliseet Paddle; c. 1880 Maliseet
I've posted some of Rick's works before documenting his amazing skill as a birchbark canoe builder and paddle maker. If you haven't seen these pics yet, be sure to check out his full sized Cherry Maliseet Paddle HERE as well as THIS POST. After seeing his magnificent, historically accurate work, Rick is my personal paddle making hero.

Exquisite Rick Nash Paddle & Display Case

In my opinion, Rick Nash of Woodland Heirlooms is the finest traditional paddle carver around today. His magnificent paddle creations (all featured previously - click here) are just stunning to amateur hobbyists like myself. His latest creation for a client included an equally beautiful display case made from butternut (73" x10") and lined with a dark teal coloured velvet. It was constructed with a special channel in the middle so that the shaft of the paddle fits with pressure.  Feast your eyes on the gorgeous paddle art below...

Paddle & Display Case

Blade Closeup with etched patterns

Pics Courtesy of R Nash - Woodland Heirlooms

Wooden Canoe Heaven

Just came back from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association Assembly in Peterborough, Ontario. I had a chance to view some fantastic bark canoes and chat with their builders.

Ted Behne was there demonstrating some of his fantastic models with their precision lashing, sheathing, and winter bark decoration. Ted recently finished a 1:5 scale of a Fur Trade Canoe complete with miniature barrels and canvas stuff sacks. The painted colours were stunning indeed. If anyone intends to make a bark canoe model and needs materials and guidance, Ted is the man to speak with. He was kind enough to clarify why certain canoes had their gores stitched and why some didn't...apparently all to do with how the gores were originally cut. Ted's tech tips were absolute gems during my model canoe build so it was great to discuss these details with him. Check out his site - BarkCanoe.net for more stuff.


Ted's beautiful models including the Fur Trade in back
Also there was Ferdy Goode from Wisconsin. Ferdy brought along an Abenaki style canoe that he built back in 1990. The bark had weathered to a nice grey patina and the workmanship was fantastic. I really appreciated all his feedback to my questions regarding gunwale construction and lashing. Being able to stick your head up close into a bark canoe, touch the lashings, and finely examine the features isn't possible at the Canadian Canoe Museum so this was a real eye-opener into the building process. In particular, the clean lines of the gunwale caps and decorative whip stitching on the bow & stern is how I plan to finish the ends on my eventual bark canoe.


Ferdy's aged bark beauty
A surprise visit came in the form of Rick Nash of Woodland Heirlooms, who's been an avid birchbark builder in Dwight (next town over from our cottage place) for over 20 years. I've been meaning to contact Rick over the phone anyway, but now had the pleasure of meeting him and his wife, Doris. Rick was also kind enough to deal with my barrage of questions and offered some alternative suggestions to common problems I anticipated in facing my first full-scale build. In particular, he mentioned his use of Tamarack roots as an acceptable substitute for White Spruce which will be easier to harvest in my area.

Rick had a few of his models on display which included a fantastic 1:5 Maliseet complete with a stunning chip-carved paddle in cherry. In particular I was utterly amazed at the chip carving work on the grip area - something I hope to try on some of my future paddles. Rick's photo portfolio of bark canoes he's built was amazing...particularly a shot with Pierre Trudeau paddling one of Rick's canoes when he was still Prime Minister in 1981.


Rick's Miniature and chip-carved Maliseet Paddle


Maliseet stem; Trudeau paddling Nash's canoe in '81
I also got a chance to meet Lloyd Stonehouse, another paddle maker who had a workshop class running. He had a bunch of blanks layed out on display as well as a few completed ones, including a stunning Bird's Eye Maple beavertail. I asked Lloyd about some other woods to consider for paddlemaking (other than cherry, walnut, birch, etc) and he mentioned using Willow, Butternut, and Sitka Spruce. So the next time I source out some wood, I'll try these stock


Lloyd Stonehouse's various paddle blanks
All in all a fantastic day for a canoe-addict!

Rich Nash - Woodland Heirlooms

Recently received an email from Doris & Rick Nash of Woodland Heirlooms regarding a new website documenting Rick's fanastic bark canoes and other craftsmanship. I've posted some of Rick's works before documenting his amazing skill as a canoe builder and paddle maker. Feast your eyes on some of Rick's gorgeous work below:


Some of Rick's paddles


Chip Carved Crooked Knife


Model Bark Canoe

Anyone wanting to contact Rick and inquire about his work can do so by clicking here.

Rick Nash Maliseet Paddles

Master birchbark canoe builder and artisan Rick Nash recently sent me an email and thoughtfully attached pics of his latest paddle creation for a client. An absolutely gorgeous Maliseet (or Maliceet) style paddle made from hand split cherry and rubbed with red ochre. The stunning chip carving was done with a jackknife and a nail. The delicate spined blade comes complete with a carved drip ring at the throat. Wow!


Rick's Beautiful Paddle
As some of you might have noticed, I've become more interested in tribal decorative patterns recently. I find the curved motifs and geometric designs really stunning. The patience and artistry required for such delicate carving is a testament to the maker's skills. My attempts at chip carving have yielded results too embarrassing to post online. A few readers of the blog have inquired about commissioning chip carved decorative paddles from me and frankly, for the time being, this sort of decoration is out of my league. If any of you are interested in paddles like this, Rick is the man to contact.

Hazen Maliseet Paddles

Page 60 of Trading identities: the souvenir in Native North American art from the Northeast by Ruth B. Phillips (available partially online through Google Books) has some great pics of historic Maliseet carved paddles.

The black & white images show closeups of the blade decorations; the first paddle featuring a familiar double curved motif while the second a pictorial representation of a sporting camp scene.


Excerpt from her book...

2.7 a,b Two of four canoe paddles (details) commissioned by Frank Hazen from Maliseet carvers, c. 1880. Fig. 2.7a displays traditional double-curve motifs, while 2.7b displays an innovative pictorial vignette of a sporting camp scene, which would have been appreciated by touristic collectors but generally rejected by turn-of-the-century ethnological collectors.

I find the traditional curved etchings much more pleasing and remembered that I had seen this pattern before. A post from October 2009 featuring Rick Nash's gorgeous cherry Maliseet paddle seems to be a replica of this pattern.


Rick Nash paddle
Woodland Heirlooms

Unique Paddle Grips

While browsing on Fickr, I came across Smiley518's set on the 2008 Indian Summer Festival held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She took some fantastic pics of the event, including some shots of Voyageur Canoes, an Eastern-style Ojibway Birchbark Canoe, and a unique paddle design that caught my eye. Unfortunately, the name of the artist isn't known but it's a beautiful piece of work.





The paddle; The carved grip
I'm no expert, but it reminds me of a slender Maliseet-style beavertail with an nicely carved grip. At my request, Smiley518 graciously provided a zoomed image of the grip with its beautiful decorations and permission to post it. Along with the floral motif, there's a central medallion carving with what looks to be a beaver. Although decorative wood carving isn't my forté, I'm going to try and relief carve something like this with a future paddle blank I have on hand.

Back when I met Rick Nash at the 2008 WCHA Assembly, I took a photo of one of his chip carved grips, including one made for our canoe loving Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau.


Some of Rick Nash's paddle grips
I'll probably have to practice on many wood scraps before I attempt to do anything like these carved grips on a fully completed paddle. Perhaps the carving can be combine with pyrography to get a sort of 3-dimension woodburning effect. So many ideas - not enough TIME!

Rick Nash Maliceet Class Cherry Paddle

Longtime followers of this blog will know of my gushing awe for the traditional paddles carved by Rick Nash of Woodland Heirlooms. Many of his beautiful creations have been featured on the site before (click here for all these posts).

Here's another paddle that's been recently updated on his page of Maliceet Class Paddles. This one from split cherry is 66" long with all the incising decoration done with a jack-knife and nail...

Maliceet Class Paddle Blade

 Maliceet Class Decorated Grip

Noel Jerome Bark Canoe

Happened to swing by Algonquin Outfitters at Oxtongue Lake a while back and immediately noticed the well preserved bark canoe suspended over the cash register.

Manager Gord Baker was kind enough to supply some notes about the interesting history of the boat. Apparently it was acquired by original owner, Bill Swift Sr. as payment after someone couldn't pay back their debt with cash. Local bark canoe historian and restorer Rick Nash believes the construction style is consistent with Noel Jerome, a famed Algonquin builder from Rapid Lake, Quebec.