Honky Hawrysio is a people watcher. He’s always on the look out for an interesting face. But it’s not necessarily about beauty.
It’s the quirky, slightly unusual mugs, he most likes to recreate in a wooden caricature.
“I’m always looking around for an interesting face I can recreate,” he says. “One time, I saw a guy with half a moustache and half a beard. It turned out he’d lost a bet with his daughter, but he didn’t want to shave it all off so he just shaved half.”
Hawrysio has nearly as many entertaining stories as he does engaging wooden carvings.
There was the time he went to the Simcoe County Artisan awards last year to be honoured. Figuring it was like many of the other events he’d attended, he showed up ready to carve wearing his dusty old cap, sweat shirt and jeans.
“It turned out it was gala affair,” he says, laughing. “The men had tuxedos on and the ladies were dressed better than if it was a wedding. Everyone got quite a hoot out of the way I looked.”
Hawrysio set up shop along with several other merchants and artisans at the Spring Garden Show in Stroud last Saturday, which was organized by the Innisfil Community Events Corp.
He has won several awards for his wood carvings, including wood spirits, which are endearing faces of mystical old men with long, flowing beards that he carves into tree trunks.
Hawrysio carved a spirit at the show, which was sold off in a silent auction later that evening. Proceeds from the auction went toward the new recreation complex.
Hawrysio, who works out of Belle Ewart, teaches wood carving as well as being commissioned to carve trees and stumps at people’s homes.
He started carving in 1996 when his son carved a wooden duck.
“I figured it looked like fun so I gave it try,” he says.
But he quickly began creating faces with interesting expressions as opposed to the traditional wildlife carvings.
“A bird is a bird and a duck is a duck, but no two faces are the same,” Hawrysio says. “I love people and I love carving wood. You see the people laugh and smile when they see the carvings. I like making people happy. It brings some joy.”
It’s obvious Hawrysio enjoys entertaining onlookers with humourous chit-chat as he shows his work. His unusual first name — Honky — often comes up in the conversation.
“It’s not a nickname. It’s my given Ukrainian name. I always tell people at least my dad didn’t call me Sue,” he says in reference to the famous Johnny Cash tune.
If you happen to meet Hawrysio, and he sees that certain something in your face, you may end up immortalized in one of his wooden caricatures.
If you want to reach him, just call Honky at 456-2815. He has no use for his last name on his business card and he doesn’t have a website because he believes, “word of mouth is still better than that Internet thing.”
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