Marcel Dionne

"I can build almost anything, with almost any material"

By Heather Kendall, Staff Reporter, Barry's Bay This Week

Nestled in the hills surrounding White Duck Lake is the workshop of a very talented woodworker. In his workshop, this craftsman creates innovative and interesting kitchen tools.

Marcel Dionne was born into poverty and has suffered many tragedies in his life. Yet he has overcome his problems through his talent and creativity.

Dionne is from Makwa, in northern Saskatchewan; he is the youngest of a large family headed by his mother. When he was eight, his mom bought him an "Uncle Henry," which is an old-style knife.

"She paid $5 for it, which was a huge amount of money for her," he says. With that knife, Dionne whittled whatever his mother asked for; one of those projects was a spatula.

"I made it out of poplar, which is a real good kitchen wood – not!" he laughs. That didn't matter to his mother, who always praised his work. This was the beginning of his foray into woodworking.

His mother died when Dionne was 12 and he became a ward of the court. He lived with various relatives over the next few years, got his Grade 12 and took a job in construction. The construction boom in Toronto in the mid-1980s brought him to Ontario.

A motorcycle accident in 1995 changed his life. He suffered many injuries, including a separated pelvis, which was misdiagnosed. He was in therapy for 18 months before the mistake was discovered; by then his leg was wasting away. He wore a brace for nine years.

Six months before the accident, he'd begun dating Nicole Picotte, a flight attendant. She stood by him and helped with his recovery.

"Overnight, she went from girlfriend to nursemaid," says Dionne.

After the accident, Dionne says he couldn't do much at all. One day, he joined Picotte on a shopping trip to Home Depot, where he spotted a Dremel tool. He decided it was too expensive for their tight budget, but Picotte added it to their cart. Using this tool, he began carving. Soon he was making his own custom tools.

The accident also forced Dionne to rethink his career. He and Picotte set up their own business – Imagine Wood – in 1998. In May of 1999, they bought property on White Duck Lake. "It was one of the last larger acreages left on waterfront," he says.

He and Picotte started work on the property that first weekend, building a workshop and house at the same time. The house, he says, is still a work in progress.

Dionne's original intention was to earn a living building canoes; he soon discovered, however, that there were already several others providing that service. Instead, he turned to light-duty construction, like decks and renovations (including Talk O' the Town in Barry's Bay). A neighbour, Jamie Turnbull, asked him to make a wooden pâté knife. Dionne wasn't sure what that was, but set to work and ended up with a butcher-size knife.

"Jamie liked it, but explained that a pâté knife was quite a bit smaller," he laughs.

Dionne continued to search for a niche in woodworking. He made birdhouses and feeders as well as wooden knives. One craft gallery bought every knife he had.

"We knew then that was the way to go," he says. He started making kitchen tools in 2000 and they began the craft show circuit, bringing their products to the One of a Kind Show and the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. They have had great success with the shows, winning awards for best overall product, and even best booth. "At the end of one show, I ended up selling our booth."

Dionne uses rock maple for the tools because it not only has anti-bacterial properties but also isn't stained by food. He prefers the bottom of the tree or the sapwood near the heart because of its density. He carefully studies the curves of pots, pans and containers so that he can make a tool that works best. A spatula for a peanut butter jar, for example, has a shaped edge to get into the corners.

While kitchen tools are his livelihood, art is his love. He says he takes a reason and focuses on that reason.

"I'll visualize and visualize," he says. "My art is one of need."

A church in Kingston needed candlesticks, so he focused on what they should be like. He felt they needed to symbolize where they were going to be displayed. He used the idea of the Holy Trinity, using a triangle for the base as well as using a triangular shape for the wings at the top, "like spirits flying."

Because the chapel is very large, the five candlesticks are too. The tallest one is over six feet in height. He used black cherry, walnut, bird's eye maple and brass; in fact, the only parts of the candlesticks that he didn't make were the screws.

A large clock sits in the couple's living room. At first glance one may not notice that the clockworks are in an eye. A closer examination reveals other facial features. "Women tend to see the whole face before men do," Dionne says.

He created a stunning room divider which features the North Wind blowing across the panels.

"I can build almost anything, with almost any material," he says. Most of his artwork is done on commission.

If Dionne is the craftsman, Picotte is the manager. She also designs the tags and labels for their products, and helps in the workshop. They work well together.

Most of the kitchen tools are sold at shows. The larger shows are very expensive, however, so they have set up a web site. There you will find all of their products along with information for using and caring for them.

This summer they expect to travel to craft shows in Kingston, Goderich, Muskoka, Haliburton, Cabbagetown (in Toronto) and the CNE. They will again set up shop at this July's Madawaska Valley Arts and Crafts show in Barry's Bay. Dionne has to have about 7,000 tools ready for the summer season. He's got some part time help for the rough work, but he does the hand-finishing himself. Though he'll be working long hours for the next few weeks, he seems content. Life is good, and all is right with the world.

Marcel and Nicole met in Toronto in 1995. Their passion for cooking and woodworking led them to design their own line of kitchen utensils. They moved to Combermere, Ontario to built their log home and shop. They formed their company IMAGINE WOOD in 1999 and have been designing and creating ever since. Their vision was to bring the wooden tool into the 21st century...and they did! They sell their utensils at art shows across Canada and you can also find their work in selected stores in Canada and the U.S. » Visit Marcel Dionne - Imagine Wood «