In the know.

Kelsey Roach, resident at PineCrest in Lufkin, was looking for a hobby where he could work with his hands when he met a fellow in Maine who was a master at woodcarving. “My wife was from Maine so we would just about go up there every summer. I saw these carvings with gold leaf inlay and I was fascinated by that,” recalled Roach.

As Roach became acquainted with the craftsman, he picked his brain on the type of tools he needed to get started. “He showed me what he was doing and how he was doing it. He told me what equipment to buy and where to buy it, and I did. I took a book along with it, and I could do it, it surprised me,” he shared. He quickly learned that he prefers to work with bass wood because there is virtually no grain, making it smoother to work with.

Now, over twenty years later, he is what one might call an expert woodcarver with the bulk of his artwork being birds, specifically ducks. “The little black and white one, that was my first one ever. It’s called a Loon, I made it for my wife, Evelyn, because she liked the sound it makes,” he said while demonstrating the Loon’s unique duck call.

Over the years, he made other impressive pieces like a dining table with two swans posing with their wings  flared, holding the glass top for the table. The gorgeous table was given to a dear friend who says it is one of her  prized possessions. Another popular piece is the hawk that looks so real, you might leap from shock when entering his apartment. But, out of all of his creations, the little Loon duck remains his favorite because it reminds him of his late wife of fifty years.