With over forty years’ experience as Master Traditional Snowshoe Makers, Brian J. and Edmond Theriault know their craft inside out. In a bold attempt to keep the art of snowshoe making alive, the duo are proud to have released a comprehensive guide that anyone can follow. From cutting down the right tree to weaving the resulting wood and finally enjoying the end product – snowshoe making is now within the grasp of the average person.
Fort Kent, ME -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/12/2014 -- For father and son Brian J. and Edmond Theriault, making snowshoes has been a four-decade passion that has taken them from novices to world-class craftsmen. However, fearing that the art may be dying out among the wider population, the duo have written a book to help anyone create their own traditional snowshoes with relative ease.
‘Leaving Tracks: A Maine Tradition’ walks readers through the entire process, even if they only have basic woodworking experience.
Synopsis:
How to make traditional snowshoes. An extensive guide to making traditional snowshoes. Detailed diagrams, pictures, weaving patterns and tool making. This book shows how my dad and I select the ash tree in the woods, process cow hides, shape the wood into frames, and make snowshoe molds. We describe the tools and show diagrams with measurements on how to weave traditional snowshoes. By putting a piece of rawhide and two sticks together, you get transportation. We call our snowshoes usable art. Theriault's Traditional Snowshoes.
“The book is definitive” says Brian, “it contains almost ninety diagrams and over three-hundred-and-fifty pictures. We’ve worked diligently to explain even the minutest of details. All weaving patterns are divulged, as well as how to make and use the various tools readers will encounter.”
Continuing, “It’s amazing to think that, by putting a piece of rawhide and two sticks together, you can create an age-old method of transportation. The problem is that most modern snowshoes are factory-formed and lack the detail and craftsmanship of their traditional counterparts. We’re trying tirelessly to keep this craft alive and know that crafting your own pair of perfect snowshoes is not only giving an end product that lasts longer, but one that evokes immense pride. We’re getting older, so we need to pass this information onto others.”
The pair also conduct many in-person classes and have produced a popular DVD on the subject. This book is the next step in their mission to keep the world producing, using and cherishing traditionally hand-crafted snowshoes.
‘Leaving Tracks: A Maine Tradition’ is available now. For more information, visit the official website: http://www.ilovesnowshoes.com.
About Edmond Theriault and Brian J. Theriault
I, Edmond Theriault, (91) was born on March 22, 1923, in a family of fourteen children. I remember the great depression when it seemed everyone I knew was poor. My father supported his family by hunting, trapping, and fishing and that’s what I wanted to do. World War II came and coming out of high school a volunteered for aviation cadet and became a B-17 pilot and served in the pacific theater for twenty-two months. I came back and worked for the postal service, retiring at 55 years of age.
I, Brian J. Theriault, (57) was born September 28, 1957, the third oldest of 11 children. In 1978 got a Diploma in Carpentry at Northern Maine Technical College, Presque Isle, Maine. In 1993 got an Associate of Arts Degree in Forestry, University of Maine at Fort Kent. We started a hobby that was difficult since the information we need was not available to us. I spent a great deal of time taking notes, demonstration with my father, and taking photos and videos as I learned and practice with the intentions of producing a book one day. Someday I would like to do a movie. I have won Traditional Art Master Snowshoe Maker by the Maine Arts Commission 3 times so far. To help anyone who wanted a hobby that would keep an old art alive. Leaving Tracks is what I came up with.