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Mervin lets his imagination run wild in creating art

A sperm whale made from driftwood one of his most talked-about pieces ever
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Don Mervin in his workshop with a piece of driftwood that he can see eventually being shaped into an eagle.

It starts out with a vivid imagination and the creation of the art follows for Don Mervin.

No matter whether he’s doing an oil painting, a sketch or turning a chunk of driftwood into a keepsake, the Chemainus resident has the tools and the know how to make masterpieces.

Born in Avonlea, the Saskatchewan version south of Regina, Mervin seemingly inherited his art instincts from his mother.

“I’ve got some of her originals hanging up,” he pointed out.

Mervin grew up in Vancouver and became something of a jack-of-all-trades after graduating from high school in 1955. Among other things, he did landscape contracting, worked in the parts department at an old Jimmy Pattison G.M. dealership, picked and sold mushrooms, built roads for logging trucks, went into plumbing and did piping work.

You name it, he did it, and that all probably factored into the versatility he shows in his paintings, and the birdhouses and frames he constructs in his shop.

Mary Dolan, Mervin’s current wife of 10 years whom he’s known for about 20 years, is a very creative person in her own right.

They’re both lending their talents to Inspiration Station for children of all ages, administered by the Chemainus Crofton Commmunity Schools Association and supported by volunteers.

“We believe children need opportunities to be creative and innovative and use their imagination,” said Dolan.

“You should see the stuff they make,” noted Mervin.

Inspiration Station offers a chance to create green art by “upcycling,” fun engineering possibilities, resources for teachers, an innovative use for trash from local businesses, a creative learning process rather than copied products, event or workshop opportunities and so much more.

Both believe in it very strongly. They’re also members of the Chemainus Valley Cultural Arts Society.

Inspiration Station-type programs may not have existed in Mervin’s day, but he definitely put his vision to the test and started doing meticulous drawings at the age of seven in Grade 1.

“I always carried a pencil in case I saw something I liked,” he said. “I could do a quick sketch.”

Mervin never went to art school or received any specialized training. He simply had a natural ability that continues to amaze people to this day.

“I see something whether it be round, square, oblong,” he indicated.

One of Mervin’s trademarks is his scenery paintings.”I always want to make sure there’s an animal in there,” he pointed out.

A piece of driftwood he had lying around for a while recently became quite a spectacle when he turned it into a sperm whale after adding an eye and inserting a few other “body parts.”

“As soon as he saw that, he said, ‘that’s a whale,’” recalled Dolan.

Mervin completed the piece just before Christmas.

“I spent about a week on it off and on,” he noted.

“He had to find the right tail shape and the right fin shape,” Dolan added.

As if by magic or a strange coincidence, a sperm whale was recently spotted off the coast near Chemainus for the first time in 100 years.

That piece of hard driftwood shaped into a whale is now a memento of the occasion. “You’ve got to have an imagination,” stressed Mervin.

“It’s really amazing,” offered Dolan.

In his Summer Song studio, “Don’s also a conservationist that adds that creativity.”

The conversationalist conservationist might be an appropriate moniker for him.

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It’s amazing what you can do with a piece of driftwood. Don Mervin turned this one into a realistic-looking sperm whale, with a few additions, left. Above, Mervin in his workshop with a piece of driftwood that he can see eventually being shaped into an eagle. Below, Mervin with some of his paintings. (Photos by Don Bodger)


Don Bodger

About the Author: Don Bodger

I've been a part of the newspaper industry since 1980 when I began on a part-time basis covering sports for the Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle.
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