anywhere from 10 hours up to 15 hours. As he becomes more skilled
in his work, he has developed processes which includes stumps in
some weak areas like the head or fins and so they will not crack as
easily.
After the carving is finished, Livingston sands and sands a lot.
Then he begins with bringing out the likeness of the piece with color.
He tried painting the figurine only to be disappointed with the color
runoff. He finally settled on colored chalk, which actually goes on
really fast and smooth. Then he gives the piece two coats of hair spray,
letting it dry between each layer. Finally, six layers of clear coat is
applied and voila, the carving is ready to find a new home.
When Livingston started his passion, he decided to get some
information about the medium he was working with so he talked to
the curator at the museum in Vermillion. They were able to identify
the chalk rock he was working with and told him it was somewhere
between 85 to 87 million years old. They also told him this type of rock
is only found two other places on the earth – one is Pickstown and the
other is the White Cliffs of Dover in Great Britain.
“You would be amazed to see what I find in the sediment rock when
I start carving,” Livingston said. “The fossils, some of them just fall out,
and I never know what I’ll find.”
Livingston’s basement is full of carved pieces and since becoming
associated with the owners of Twist of Pine, he has found his new
hobby is becoming a nice second income. Occasionally, a fisherman
comes from out of the area to fish and takes back a couple of
Livingston’s chalk rock creations for family and friends. At first his
carving projects were a local treat, passed along by word of mouth but
now his creations have world-wide fame with a website created by his
Twist of Pine friends. He has pieces in Norway and Canada, enjoying
the fame he has earned. He also participates in the arts festival at
Riverboat days.
For Livingston, the work is not hard. He comes and goes as he
pleases so if the day is nice, his fishing pole is close. When he works, he
can often be found in is workshop in the wee hours of the morning.
Living with diabetes has it challenges and he adjusts his lifestyle so
he can enjoy what he’s doing. So, if bed beckons him at 7 p.m. in the
evening, that’s okay with him. He sleeps until midnight or 1 a.m. and
then heads out to work in the solitude of the night hours.
In January, Livingston passed a benchmark. He had carved 1,000
pieces and decided he needed to create something special. He carved a
white Siberian tiger and that piece he won’t sell. It is standing on a shelf
in his basement and he feels it is the best figurine he has created.
Another project Livingston has initiated in Springfield is carving
crosses and he presents one to every baptism in all of the five churches
in the community. He smiles as he reads the thank you cards, which
come from all over, to thank him for the thoughtful gesture. Some
families bring their babies back to be baptized in Springfield because
they know their baby will receive the cross.
“If 15 years ago, someone would have told me I would be doing this,
I would have told them they were crazy,” Livingston said. “But now I
don’t know what I would do without it.”
Funeral Home & Crematory, Yankton
Memorial Resource Center, Tyndall
Memorial Chapels, Tabor, Menno & Tyndall
665-9679 • 1-800-495-9679 • www.opsahl-kostelfuneralhome.com
vBy Linda Wuebben
Bob’s sled was his passion...
We made sure his final ride was memorable.
Planning in advance creates a funeral
service that reflects your loved ones wishes.
Celebrations of life as unique as the
individual being remembered.
Kevin Opsahl
Funeral Home & Crematory, Yankton
Memorial Resource Center, Tyndall
Memorial Chapels, Tabor, Menno & Tyndall
665-9679 • 1-800-495-9679
www.opsahl-kostelfuneralhome.com
HISVOICEvNOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017v13