Woodcarvers put their hearts into Cantigny show

Marcy Samat’s dearest possession is a wooden, hand-carved heart.

Her dad, William Hennek, created the piece, sometimes carving an inch at a time in a relief style. He did it even though Parkinson’s disease had made it more of a challenge to create the fine, meticulous details.

“His hands shook terribly,” Samat, 69, said. “He was never one to be intimidated by adversity and he continued to carve even though it was extremely difficult for him.”

The heart shows a simple quilt pattern. It lacks the mechanical sense of one piece he chiseled when his “hands were good,” when he molded ebony into a ball that moves in a frame.

But to the Chicago woman, the piece remains special. “It’s perfectly gorgeous,” she said.

Her dad died before she followed in his footsteps and began carving nearly two decades ago. Memories of her father sculpting wood in his workshop motivated her to pursue what she calls a “lovely pastime.”

“That’s one of my biggest regrets in life, that my dad never got to see any of my carvings,” Samat said.

Now, she’s vice president of the North Suburban Carvers, a 120-member group that will display its work Saturday and Sunday at Cantigny Park in Wheaton. Besides showing and selling pieces, many of the members also teach carving to kids.

“We want to keep the art form going,” Samat said.

Proceeds from sales of pieces at Cantigny will be donated to the Shriners Hospital for Children. A jar will collect donations for the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Wheaton. And a free raffle drawing Sunday night will award hand-carved canes bearing eagles and patriotic designs to veterans.

Members also will present “Pirates of the Seven Seas,” a 25-piece display of realistic ornaments — “fish that look like they can swim and birds that look like they can fly” — and cartoonish caricatures in Cantigny’s Visitors Center.

“Nobody is serious when they carve pirates,” Samat said of the amusing varieties.

Her toolbox boasts chisels, gouges and knifes. Her husband, Frank, is president of the club and favors his own set of tools.

“That’s a good thing for marital harmony,” Samat said laughing.

Samat tends to spend days perfecting pieces, once logging 260 hours on a single carving. She also spreads her creative endeavors to wall masks, sculptures and watercolor paintings.

But she started to choke up remembering the heart. Her mom told her after her dad died that he had battled tears and frustration carving it.

Samat says the piece is beautiful because it doesn’t show the slightest evidence of shaking hands and because “dad made it.”

“I love it so, so very much,” she said.

The free show runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 28, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 29. The parking fee at Cantigny is $5 per car. For more information, visit northsuburbancarvers.org.

If you go

What: North Suburban Carvers show

When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 28, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 29

Where: Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton

Cost: Free admission; $5 parking

Info: northsuburbancarvers.org