Carving out time for the healing power of art

 

As the day begins, Dawn Calautti steps into her art room. Surrounded by an array of paints, carving tools and blocks of wood, she settles into her morning routine. This might involve studying a design pattern, wielding a paint brush or picking up a power tool and digging into a chunk of pine. What is important is that she starts the day by working at her craft.

Scheduling such a routine wasn’t always important to this Methuen artist. A decade ago, she was expertly juggling caring for her family, working 10- to 12-hour days as a physical therapist assistant and sometimes managing to fit in a few creative painting projects on the side.

“I painted Adirondack chairs and sometimes fooled around with whittling wood,” she says, “but could never quite find enough balance in my schedule to keep that creative flow going.”

Everything came to a halt in 2016 when Calautti sustained a brain injury. During the healing process, even everyday tasks had to be relearned.

“I had to focus on things such as which item of clothing went on first and remind myself to put toothpaste on the toothbrush,” she says.
And just as things were improving for her, a subsequent re-injury a few years later set Calautti back once again.

The path to healing opened when Sarajean Graham, Calautti’s aunt, introduced her to the art of woodcarving.

“My aunt had been attending a carving class in Elliot, Maine, for quite some time,” says Calautti. “The instructor, Jim Higgins, is a master carver of bird decoys. I had admired my aunt’s work and had planned to accompany her to a class before my accident happened.”
Wishing to add something creative to her life as part of her healing, Calautti signed up for a class in 2022.

“Carving has been so therapeutic for me,” she says. “It was, and still is, an exercise for my brain. At first, I had to take a ton of notes. And sometimes I just couldn’t make it to class. But it was important for me to add something to my routine, so I went to my aunt’s house once a week, and to class in Maine when I was up for it. These days, I am still going regularly.”

“My aunt drives us to the Maine studio; it’s always an adventure!” she says. “At that first class I could only take in so much information, so I simply observed the others. It takes longer for me to receive, process and store things in my brain, so I took a lot of notes.”

Gradually she acquired more skills, went from simple hand-carving tools to power tools, and set up a space at home to practice her craft. In 2023, she proudly carved her first bird head.

Although she is now proficient in carving a life-size duck decoy, Calautti mostly creates smaller decorative carvings. Beginning with a block of pine, birch, tupelo or even a piece of tree root, she selects a template from a trade magazine or online. The template is much like a sewing pattern, and determines the length, width and position of the bird. Most are carved in two steps, with the body separate from the head. Calautti employs a variety of hand-carving tools, as well as a motor-driven carver with an assortment of bits.

The next step is to sand the pieces using a combination of hand and power tools.

“A smooth surface is important,” says Calautti.

If the carving was done in more than one piece, these are then glued or screwed together. The bird species determines the painting process.

“Depending on the desired effect, I sometimes use a paint texture additive, a molding compound that thickens the acrylic paint. This adds dimension to the painted feathers,” she explains.

Using an assortment of bird books and magazines as well as online references, Calautti chooses the appropriate paint colors, which she applies by hand with brushes and the occasional airbrush for soft details. The final step is to seal the piece so that the paint doesn’t crack, especially if it is a decoy that will be placed into water.

Calautti has always had an interest in wildlife, especially birds.

“I always carry a pair of binoculars,” she says.

At this stage, she has amassed a small collection of her carved and painted creations, including shore birds, swans and doves, and she is currently carving a bass for her husband.

“I am still learning,” she says, “and sometimes my brain becomes so crowded with all this information that I must step away from the project to relax and clear my head. Yet I try to continue my morning routine of sitting down and working at my carvings daily. And it’s such a sense of accomplishment when I finish a project.”

Calautti often gifts her carvings to friends and relatives.

“This allows me to give joy to someone else,” she smiles. “And that is truly the best feeling of all.”

 

Patricia Bruno is a Methuen native, currently living in Haverhill. A writer and photographer, she is also the owner of The Winged Rabbit gift shop in downtown Haverhill.