Artist's Biography

John Leeder, Master Carver and World Class Sculptor

"One touch of nature and the whole world is kin." - Shakespeare

Ever since I can remember, nature has played a vital role in my life.  As a kid growing up in Eastern Ontario one of the hardest things for my parents to get me to do was to come inside.  It didn’t matter the season, I loved open space and the freedom nature provided to me.  Being a Canadian boy I played hockey in the winter and lived for spring, anticipating the opening of our family cottage on Charleston Lake so I could roam the woods and shoreline for hours investigating and collecting all kinds of treasures.

It is amazing what we bump into on the path of life.  When I was 12 years old, I had a school teacher (Larry Lunman) that introduced me to the art of carving.  Several children started with a block of pinewood and a carpet knife but as the weeks went on, kids dropped out and I was the only one that finished my duck, such as it was.  The crowning glory of my first decoy, were the thumb-tacks I used for eyes.  Who could have predicted that I would end up being in the class of one of the leading decoy experts in our area and a simple after school project started for rainy days would be the seed that started a passion to grow.

The St. Lawrence River area has a rich carving history.  There are carving fraternities in every community and the area boasts world level carvers, so I was exposed to a high quality of work in my early days.  Local carvers took a genuine interest in me and through encouragement were very instrumental in the nurturing of my talent.  Every year, these local carvers made the trek to Ocean City,

Maryland for the World Championships.  Two of these men in particular (Les Boszormeny and Ralph Hunt) encouraged my mother to allow me to go and the experience was a pivotal point in my life at such a young age.  I was in awe at the magnificent sculptures and the experience ignited a wonder that to this day I cannot suppress.  Wonder leads to creativity, creativity leads to expression, and my art is the final product.

Carving was a hobby throughout high school and took a back seat for a few years while I went to the University of Guelph to study wildlife biology.  I then worked as a bird of prey trainer at a zoo and later as a biologist for the provincial government.  Government cutbacks started just as I launched my career.  I was faced with a life altering decision.  Should I carve for a living?  I was newly married with a mortgage, and had never been self-employed.  It seemed like a big risk but it was a risk worth taking.

The years that I have carved full-time have been a journey.  Finding my niche in the carving world has been a challenge.  In 2002, I carved a piece that I believe changed the course of my career and enabled me to create my niche.  The sculpture was entitled "Forgotten Mourning".  In the past I had struggled with conformity in the art form.  The over emphasis of technical perfection seemed to be constricting creativity and forcing a brand of mediocrity that was discouraging.  It was at this point with a fresh idea, I decided to take a giant leap of faith.  In the past I had been concerned about the time I would have to commit to a sculpture of this magnitude and the drastic departure I would be taking from the typical "bird on a stick" that had become the accepted norm.  Looking back, I know everything aligned so that I could create this sculpture.  "Forgotten Mourning" became a labour of inspiration, of love, and faith, everything that is important in my life and that I want conveyed through my artwork.

"Forgotten Mourning" made the sculpture world notice me, it opened up new artist avenues and shows for my art form, and to date has won more awards than any of my other sculptures.  The culmination of this sculpture’s story came in the spring of 2006 when it again helped me achieve my life long goal of placing in the world level at the Ward World Championships and becoming a master carver.  The miniature replica of "Forgotten Mourning" that I did as a commission, placed 2nd in the World Miniature Division.

Writing this biography has caused me to reflect on the people and paths that have led me to becoming an artist and shaping my art.  I believe it started as far back as 1888 when my Great Uncle George on my mother’s side whom I never met, started carving animals, birds, and people.  It was furthered by the love of nature that was passed on to me from my mother’s love of flowers and birds and my father’s enthusiasm for the great outdoors.  Even though my father was unable to experience any of my work, I know my father’s passion and pursuit of excellence is part of what drives me.  Being in the right place at the right time allowed me to pursue my dreams.  My sculptures are a reflection of, and a testament to, my life and everything I believe in.

"Neglect not the gift that was given you." - I Timothy 4:14