Whittler – John Gerritsen was a man of the land. No matter where his working life took him – remote areas in the Gulf and the outback, he was never without his penknife is his pocket… in a quiet moment, to pick up a piece of wood and start whittling was as natural as breathing.
Over the last 30-odd years working with wood, John has notched up an incredible record – carving literally thousands of life-sized dogs, cats and birds, and whittling many more miniatures. He delights in finding a piece of driftwood or dry camphor laurel and working with it’s natural form to create animals and birds. “It’s all about the attitude, expression and body language” he says with a smile.