Master carver Darcy Gertz and Darcy Cedar Grove Elementary School Principle Barry Krangle pose with the new gnome.
On June 26, students from Cedar Grove Elementary and members Elphinstone Community Association gathered to unveil a new book gnome for the front of the school. The old one, put in place when the school opened, had taken a beating from weather and vandals but the kids voted unanimously to keep it as well.
Gnome unveiling with assistance from students, the carver and Vel Anderson from the Elphinstone Community Association.
About the Artist
Artist and goldsmith, Darcy Gertz, was born in Manitoba in 1960. As a young man he moved to Vancouver where he started carving in wax. This led to a position as a goldsmith at Harling’s Jewellers in Vancouver, where he worked for ten years. Darcy attended the Jewellery Art & Design program at Vancouver Community College. In 1993 he moved to the Sunshine Coast and has been working with Finlayson Goldsmiths since 2001.
Darcy will carve anything that’s not nailed down: gemstones, ice, wood, or pumpkins. He is a master sand sculptor and has won competitions in several countries. A little known fact: his team holds the record for the world’s tallest sand castle.
Darcy took on the gnome project in 2018 at the request of the Elphinstone Community Association. A ten foot long red cedar log was sourced from Coastland Wood Industries and transported to his driveway on Pratt Road where he worked on it for a year.
Students watch the gnome unveiling.
School District board chair Pammila Ruth poses with carver Darcy Gertz
