Sisters sculptor: Have chainsaw, will travel

Local sculptor Skip Armstrong has packed his bags for a trip to Belize. His journey is part of an international art project and an inspirational pilgrimage to his roots as a sculptor.

The first time Armstrong was in Belize was more than three decades ago.

"Before I was ever a carver and sculptor, I packed my Volkswagen van and went through Mexico, Guatemala and Belize in 1971. What inspired me to become a carver was seeing the ancient artifacts and the sculptures on the Mayan temples. So it is kind of like going back to my own roots and source of inspiration," he said.

The seeds of the project were planted in Sisters a number of years ago.

"It came about through Father Faucher who was the pastor at the Catholic church here in town. I did the sculptures that are in the garden and church there as a part of the remodeling program that he instituted. He was a visionary and a renaissance man, who wanted to use art to the fullest in the church," said Armstrong.

Father Faucher left Sisters several years ago and went home to Boise, Idaho, to take over Saint Mary's church there.

"That church is also in need of remodeling, and he is going to make it like a cathedral. He is completely revamping the old church. What a cathedral needs is monumental doors, so when he (Father Faucher) thinks doors he thinks of me because of our prior connection," said Armstrong.

Creating monumentally scaled doors will be a first for Armstrong, but the seed for the theme was planted some time ago.

"He (Father Faucher) had seen some of my work in the past and remembered some dragon doors that I had made. In Revelation (Chapter 12) there is this passage that depicts this seven-headed dragon with 10 horns who is swirling the cosmos with his tail and he is attacking the queen who is about to give birth. The queen is being defended by the Archangel Michael, and this sets the stage for the sculpture that will make up the door," said Armstrong.

When Armstrong and Father Faucher discussed the project over the phone and the passage of scripture was read, the concept took instant hold.

"I immediately had this vision of this great battle scene on the front door of the church. He loved the idea, so I drew him a sketch of what I had in mind and that is how this project developed," said Armstrong.

However, one initial problem ensued: obtaining the wood for a project of this scale.

"The key to this whole thing is the scale. These doors will be 16 feet high by 10 feet wide by 18 inches thick. So that is timber, not just wood. I wanted to do it out of mahogany because that is such a classic wood. It is durable and has great color. It is a perfect wood in a church context," said Armstrong.

"You can't get wood like I am looking for in this country, so I came up with this whole concept. The only place this wood is available is in the area around Belize. About eight years ago there was a hurricane that came through there and knocked down millions of board feet of mahogany. Those trees are still laying in the jungle. An old client of mine in Prineville just happens to have an old sawmill down in Belize, so I contacted him and all this just fell into place perfectly," Armstrong continued.

The trip will take about a month-and-a-half, according to Armstrong, partly because of Belize export laws.

"I am going to mill the wood and assemble them into a door, which is critical as only finished products can be exported. The Belizeans will not allow timber to be exported; only finished goods can be exported. I am going to carve it in the jungle on the Mayan ruins, so I am going to tie this whole thing into the Mayan history of carving," he said.

The logistics of the doors are impressive, as is the amount of work that will go into the construction.

"The doors will weigh eight tons, and I will be removing four tons of wood. The back of the door will be Noah's Ark using all the animals of the Northwest, which will bring it back home," said Armstrong.

The doors will be finished to about 90 percent in Belize and then transported by barge to Mobile, Alabama. Next, they will trucked to the Pacific Northwest where they will be kiln-dried prior to finishing and installation.