December 27, 2015

 

Award winning woodcarver at LimmudVan ’16

 

Mike Cohene, winner of  “best in show” at three events in B.C. and Washington State, will be carving Hannukah dreidls and mezzuzots in the hallway of Congregation Beth Israel synagogue during LimmudVan ’16.

Cohene uses olive wood that he brought back from Israel. “Each piece of wood was reclaimed from trees that had been in the devastating fire of Har Carmel, Israel,” he says on his website.

He began woodcarving in 2009, inspired by a carving demonstration at Steveston Farmer’s Market in Richmond, B.C. Fish and wildlife are his primary interests. He has developed his talent in recent years, taking a course at Emily Carr University of Art and Design and participating in an intensive 10-day workshop on fish carving with world master carver Dale Barrett in Redmond, Oregon.

His skilful artwork is gaining an enthusiastic following.  A fishing lodge in Haida Gwaii recently commissioned a carving of a Chinook salmon.