Golden Valley Couple Carves Buckthorn Creations for a Purpose
Buckthorn is an invasive shrub known for its resilience — for better or for worse. A Golden Valley couple is getting creative to help people see the beauty in the woody plant.
In his garage, Dave Michaelynn is hard at work shaping buckthorn with a lathe. He’s retired, so this work is essentially his full-time job.
“Probably 40 hours a week, at least,” Dave said, when asked how much time he spends at work in his garage.
Dave works with buckthorn at his lathe.
Michaelynn works with all kinds of wood. One that stands out — buckthorn. He said other woodworkers are suprised when he tells them he works with it. It’s not easy.
“You can see why the buckthorn is difficult to work with,” Dave said, spinning the piece of wood on the lathe. “You can see how it’s chipping, because it’s so brittle. So these pieces will break off. Really sharp tools is critical with buckthorn.”
But for Dave, breaking through the wood is worth it.
“Was it Michelangelo that said: ‘Every piece of rock has a sculpture in it’?” Dave asked.
He did — and the rest of that quote says it’s “the task of the sculptor to discover it.” Dave is up for that challenge.
So is his wife, Rhoda Michaelynn. She shapes the resilient buckthorn in the family’s backyard gazebo.
“It’s a very kinesthetically calming process, actually,” Rhoda said, focusing on her carving tools as she works with the buckthorn. Unlike Dave, her process is less mathematical.
Rhoda makes menorahs, spoons and creative sculptures, to name a few. Most of Dave’s work focuses on clean angles, like round trays and lidded jars.
“I’m not sure what it will become yet, but I love the shaping and the curves,” she said, showing off a piece of curvy driftwood.
Rhoda carves in her backyard gazebo.
Carving Out Purpose
Still, they both have the same goal as they carve through the difficult wood: share the story of their son, Adam.
“He was a really bright kid,” Dave recalled. “Misplaced, perhaps.”
Dave and Rhoda describe Adam as smart, creative and funny. In his childhood, though, Adam struggled with depression and anxiety.
He attended wilderness therapy beginning when he was 16, where he learned to carve spoons. Rhoda and Dave still display the spoons carved by him and his friends over those years in their gazebo.
Amid his fight, he died of an accidental overdose in 2016. He was 18.
A painting of Adam created by his brother, Al.
It left a profound impact on his family. Adam left behind his parents and an older brother, Al.
“I kind of turned to wood carving as a form of grief therapy,” Rhoda said.
That therapy turned into a pastime. The pastime became purposeful. It’s a story that’s as resilient as buckthorn.
“Sometimes, people don’t realize how wonderful something is until they look beyond the outside covering,” Rhoda said.
Change the Outcome
The couple now sells their art to raise awareness for substance use disorder. This year’s project is going to the nonprofit Change the Outcome, which raises awareness of the opioid epidemic in Minnesota schools through video and conversation.
“They’ve been able to reach over 100,000 kids and the program is amazing,” Rhoda said. “We’re really proud to be able to support them.”
Each piece is marked with Adam’s initials in a shape that looks like an arrow.
“It’s a way of keeping his memory alive, honoring his struggle and keeping him with us,” Rhoda said.
The Michaelynns are holding their annual sale at their Golden Valley home from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Oct. 19, at 500 Valleywood Circle.
Their driveway will be packed with different artifacts, from sculptures, to menorahs, to salt and pepper shakers.
The couple sells throughout the year at different markets, too. Gifts are also available on the Art of the Heart etsy shop.
Rhoda and Dave demonstrate some of their work. Not all of it is buckthorn-made. Some of the art is even ceramic. All proceeds from their projects go back into the community.
