Uta Strelive - Master Carver

      Cast your mind back, if you will, to the days when the GDR (or East Germany) festered in the mediocrity of stern communist ideology, with austere grey buildings rivalled only by the despondent mien of its citizens. Fun, laughter, the enjoyment of life were illusory at best and missing at worst. Neighbours snitched on neighbours, a visit in the night from the Stasi was a feared possibility, and the authoritarian rule of Erich Honicker dominated every aspect of life. Not quite North Korea, but close to it.

    In the midst of all of this, however, the light of a young bonne vivante shone brightly. Uta was yearning for freedom from fear, for honesty, for the pursuit of happiness. Not for her the stifling atmosphere of a repressive and paranoid régime. And so it was she made her way to Canada, a happy day for all of us.

     What a contribution she has made to her adopted country, both as a teacher and as an artist, and doubtless in countless other ways that I know nothing of.

     It has been a singular pleasure to get to know this talented woman who understands perfectly that beauty enhances the enjoyment of life. She has set about creating objects of refined excellence, customized for the discriminating taste of art collectors and naturalists alike. And she has done this in a field still principally dominated by men.

Black-and-white Warbler

     I first met Uta a few years ago when she lived in a beautiful house in a rural hamlet, where nature was at her doorstep, and birds were her constant companions. It happens to most of us that at some point we are faced with the reality that we need to downsize and resign ourselves to that fact that we can no longer cope with the upkeep of a house.

     Uta has moved into a spacious condominium apartment on the eleventh floor of a building in Guelph, overlooking Riverside Park.

     If you are inclined to believe in Karma, you will find it more than serendipitous that a Peregrine Falcon visits her and perches on her balcony rail almost every day.

     The move to smaller quarters has not impaired Uta's ability to produce exquisite carvings and one room is equipped as her workshop.

     Everything she needs is organized and close at hand.

     You might conclude that less space spurred Uta to better organization, but she was equally well organized before her move; I can attest to that.

     For me there is a certain fascination in seeing the "tools of the trade," quite apart from the finished product.

     There is work in progress too.

     Uta is presently working on a Winter Wren and as you may see the enchanting detail of this tiny bird is already apparent.

     I am looking forward to the day when I will be able to see the finished product, posed, lifelike and almost ready to burst into song! Such is the realism of Uta's carvings.

     Linger for a moment to take in the beauty of these hummingbirds - two males vying for the right to mate with a female, who looks on, waiting for the victor.

     The birds are miracle enough but the leaves and the flowers evoke a sublime sense of the soothing balm of nature.

     Can you begin to grasp what skill it takes to carve and paint all of these leaves and flowers with such precision? 

     A Northern Parula is one of my favourite warblers and you will see how well Uta has presented it, singing alongside a Grey Catbird.

     Here is the Grey Catbird in detail.

     If you have ever seen an Eastern Screech Owl, you will understand how artfully it camouflages with its surroundings. Here's what it might it might look like, and if you walked by with an unpracticed eye you would probably miss it.

     This is a view we will never see.

     Uta recounted how an Evening Grosbeak flew into a window a few years ago and how she revived the bird inside her house and was able to release it back to the flock. A loss of feathers on the forehead caused by the impact of the collision enabled her to identify this individual, and for the rest of the winter it came back to feed daily. She felt this bond merited a carving.

     There is more! Beautiful creations are but another day in the life of this consummate artist and intellectual wizard; exquisite art from an exquisite woman.

     I can vouch from personal experience that to sit and chat with Uta is an exercise in sheer delight, to discuss art, music, philosophy, antiquity, mythology, science and just about anything else that springs up in the conservation. 

     What a joy it has been to get to know her. And now you know her too!