Hiway16 Magazine... about people and places in north-central British Columbia, Canada

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Connie and the Clocks

by Tammy Lipke

Crafts are alive and well in the Bulkley Valley - no surprise to anyone, I'm sure. Having spent most of my life involved in one type of craft or another, I have always enjoyed seeking out new ideas, new projects, and the people who make them. So, when one of my friends recently told me that her neighbour makes clocks, I was immediately interested.

When I went to visit Connie Helps in her big log home north of Telkwa, the first thing that caught my attention in her workshop was the variety of wood.

The bear clock

There were slabs from several different types of trees: cedar, spruce, and birch, to name a few. I saw pieces of driftwood, polished by its time in the water, and pieces that looked like they might have been tree roots (they were, as it turns out). I asked Connie what kind of wood is her favourite, and she said that anything would do. Sometimes she brings wood from walks around her area, sometimes people bring pretty pieces to her from their travels

There were a number of clocks in various stages of completion in Connie's work area. I could see that the first step to making a clock is to cut out a hole in the back of the wood, where the clockworks will be nestled in flush, so that the clock hangs neatly on the wall.

Connie holds a finished cedar burl on the right and
an unfinished burl clock on the left. Note the hole drilled for the clockworks.

To prepare the wood for use, she sands it smooth, then covers it in a coat of epoxy. This prevents any air in the wood from coming out and making bubbles in the pictures, leather, or decoration that she will put on later. A coat of epoxy takes at least 72 hours to dry completely. Making a clock is not only a work of art and a labor of love, but also a painstaking, time-consuming process.






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