Wood works

Amy Canada tends to see the silver lining in everything. So, naturally, in the days following Hurricane Katrina and then Hurricane Rita, when she eyed the piles of wood at Lafreniere Park, she couldn't help but wonder if they could be put to some use. All around her, she said, she saw good wood being collected, chipped and burned.

To her way of thinking, lumber was being wasted.

"I just knew there had to be a way to bridge the need to save the wood and at the same time help those folks who'd lost everything," said Canada, as she sat on the porch of her home just off West Metairie Avenue.

After the storm, Canada helped organize and house relief groups coming into the city to do house gutting. But time and time again, she said, she and her husband heard tales of families lacking the money to rebuild their damaged homes.

It was in a magazine that she found inspiration for what became the KatRita Wood Project.

"I was actually flipping through one of those high-end home magazines when I saw a table that looked like it'd just been carved out of leftover wood," Canada said. "I can't find that magazine to save my life right now, but I know the price on the thing was at least $20,000."

If she could figure out a way to create similar pieces, Canada thought, she could sell them to raise money. She saw the growing wood piles around her as a means to a bigger end: getting people back into their homes with money raised from the sale of art and furniture built out of the debris.

"Imagine how many people we could help if we could build and sell art and furniture just as beautiful out of all the trees lost in the hurricanes?" Canada said.

As her idea took shape, Canada quickly learned that moving wood is no easy task. Often, a large lift is required to get the pieces into the bed of a truck. Many times in the past few weeks, Canada has spent a good deal of time organizing a volunteer pickup of lumber only to learn upon the volunteers' arrival at the site that government workers have already hauled away the wood.

As the wood is gathered, Canada is organizing chain-saw carvers to work with it at her home in Metairie and at KatRita volunteer Rhett Bourgeois' place in Sorrento.

Within days of her making a plea for artists on the Web site www.carvingpost.com, Dayle Lewis of Richmond, Ind., and Burt Fleming of Zachary contacted Canada. Lewis offered to drive down and work on as many pieces as he could in early February; Fleming offered to come and assist Lewis and any other artist wishing to make the trek to New Orleans.

Together the men created more than 40 sculptures that range in size from garden rabbits and turtles to an angel as big as a person, and in price from $29 to $1,200. A pair of wooden benches with animals depicted on each end and a detailed Indian chief made out of red cedar are among Canada's favorite pieces. She also is particularly partial to a heron ($225) that sits comfortably among purple iris in her front yard. An 11-foot-long wooden alligator has caught the eye of Canada's neighbor, and on the days that Canada has the creations displayed in her yard, she said, strangers just can't help but stop to ask about the work.

"Before leaving, Dayle carved a wood spirit in my neighbor's tree, and I hate to admit it but it's almost caused an accident or two because folks just don't know what to think of it as they drive by," said Canada, who hopes eventually to post photos and prices of the sculptures on the group's Web site, www.katritawood.org. But right now, she'd like to focus on getting more locals interested in helping her save the wood that's still out there and getting it stored as soon as possible.

Once sculpted, the pieces sometimes are painted and stained to add detail. Each work also is treated with a sealer to help it survive the elements. Depending on the size of a piece, it may be mounted onto a rock to keep moisture from collecting at the base of the wood. To ensure longevity, the carvers suggest the pieces be retreated with a sealer each year and, if being kept outdoors, be treated for termites just as one would treat a home. Many of the pieces already completed would be suitable for indoor or outdoor decor.

"To me it's just amazing how Amy's come up with this idea to take something that's so painful and turn it into something that is not only meaningful, but truly something helpful to those affected by Katrina and Rita," said Lewis, who is now back home in Indiana. He said that like many people, he wanted to do something to help in the recovery effort but didn't know how to get involved. By being able to contribute his artwork, Lewis said, he left New Orleans feeling as though he had been able to make an impact on the relief efforts.

"I found out firsthand that there is still so much to be done. I saw myself that New Orleans isn't OK," Lewis said. "But I left feeling positive about the way things are going."

Most folks don't realize how quickly their donated dollars can add up, Fleming said. While it isn't likely the project will garner millions in sales, every $1 earned will go toward one more set of nails needed to get somebody back into his or her home. Plus, he said, the pieces being sold are not only nice pieces of art, but also positive reminders of the good that's come out the storms' aftermath.

"People need to know that they can do something," Lewis said. "Good things can come from out of the ashes that were left by these storms. It's all a matter of being able to see the beauty in something -- whether it's a piece of wood or a gutted house, everything has the potential to be saved."

As long as there's wood to be used, Amy Canada plans to save it.

She said she feels driven to do as much as she can for the city, especially since she and her husband were fortunate enough to suffer only one lost shingle on their roof. It's her hope to have carvers all around the country working on KatRita wood. Even if she has to deliver each and every piece herself, she said, she is committed to getting every sculpture sold.

"If we don't have a piece that someone wants, we'll create it," Canada said. "As long as there are people who want to come home but can't because they don't have the means to fix their homes, I'll be right here working on this project. We can't let people forget that New Orleans and all of the areas affected by Katrina and Rita still need our help."

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Staff writer Maria Montoya can be reached at mmontoya@timespicayune.com or at (504) 826-3446.

The KatRita Wood Project

What: Art and furniture is made from trees downed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and sold to raise funds to rebuild homes along the Gulf Coast.

Contact: If you're interested in buying a piece or helping with the project, visit www.katritawood.org or call (504) 606-1303.