News
Roth opens new business in area
Scott Wagar
12/06/2011
A year ago, Cindy Roth, who was employed at the Soil Conservation office, was having a difficult time in life after learning she had breast cancer and then struggled through her cancer treatments; but, a year later she is cancer free, is looking at life differently and has started a new wood carving business showing her creative side, which is getting rave reviews in the area.
“After having cancer last year and surviving it, I have a new outlook on life,” Roth said. “So, I took an early retirement and decided to focus on my wood carving.”
Roth’s business is called Turtle Mountain Artistry and she deals with creating duck decoys, songbird carvings and Santa Clause sculptures. She chose wood sculpture as a new business because it has been a love of her’s during her adult life.
“I started wood carving 26 years ago. I joined the Flickertail Woodcarving Club in Bismarck in 1985 and took a few workshops conducted by local members,” Roth said. “I am basically a self taught wood carver.”
Roth might be self-taught, but she has a tremendous gift in carving her pieces, which are sculpted from basswood and show infinite detail of her subjects.
“I had to touch the tail feathers because I thought they were real,” said a lady who was looking at one of Roth’s duck while the Bottineau Courant was interviewing her last week. “It’s amazing just how real the duck looks.”
The details come from the hours she places into her pieces.
“A duck decoy will take about 300 hours of work,” Roth said. “It is basically a five-step process. I cut out the general shape of the bird with a band saw, round off the bird with power tools and create its final shape, then carve in bumps to create feather detail, then I burn in all the feather detail which gives the bird a more realistic look, and finally paint the bird with acrylic paint usually giving it three coats of paint which helps give in a richer color and then coat the bird with two to three coats of varnish.”
By listening to Roth, one finds out quickly that it is also a pleasure of the heart which brings her sculptures alive.
“I have always been artistic and woodcarving is a perfect fit for me,” she said. “I love the fact that I can create anything I want in wood and I am limited only by my imagination. It is fun to watch a piece come to life.”
Through Turtle Mountain Artistry Roth also offers nature prints through another artistic love she enjoys – digital photography.
“I’ve taken pictures all my life,” Roth said. “I love capturing a scene that will show people how beautiful nature can be.”
Roth is offering prints she has photographed that consists of landscapes and wildlife in the local area.
“I like nature and the beauty of it,” she said. “The Turtle Mountains offer a great opportunity for both landscape and animal photography.”
To discover Turtle Mountain Artistry, go to Roth’s website at turtlemountainartistry.com.
Individuals, who want to contact Roth, can e-mail her at cindyswoodcarvings@gmail.com or turtlemountainartistry.com.