Heel to toe: Wood carver Pinske nails a giant workboot

By Cynthia Prairie
©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Chester wood carver Barre Pinske — best known for his bears of many sizes — has been doing some sole-searching to create a gigantic workboot for a shoe and clothing shop in northern Massachusetts.

His transition from bear carver to Paul Bunyan cobbler began when he was contacted by Matthew Evans, owner of Evans on the Commons in Townsend, Mass., who was searching for an artist to create a bespoke image to draw attention to his business, which is located in a three-story, 1871 schoolhouse, that his family has owned for more than 40 years.

“We’re in a historic building and can only have the minimal signs that we have,” says Evans. “We wanted a creative way to tell people what was in the building. ” The iconic workboot is one of the main items sold at the store, which also carries clothing and shoes for men, women and children.

Evans said he had heard about Pinske’s work from a friend who had moved to Vermont, then sought him out to build the workboot, one of the main items sold at his store.

“We sell quality products,” says Evans, “and I could definitely tell Barre was the right guy for the job when he came to the store.”

Image signs harken back to Medieval European countries in which few people could read and businesses instead used pictures in clay, wood or metal  to help passersby identify what was in their shops, such as steins and pretzels for beer halls, mortar and pestles for pharmacies or a pig, cow or chicken for butchers.

Pinske began working on the boot in May of last year.

Pinske, who used photos instead of scale drawings, said, “My idea was to make it look as real as possible and make it out of large pieces of pine wood (and construct it) the way a leather boot would be made.”  His experience making wooden hats, he said, made him realize he could make the boot look like leather.

Making the sole of the boot from a single piece of wood to give the boot strength and structure was an important factor in the build, Pinske said. And “having it thin and hollow has a number of benefits including weight and rot resistance. It’s hollow all the way through.” All told, Pinske estimates, the 8 foot boot weighs in at 350 pounds.

He finally finished the work and  delivered it on Wednesday, Jan. 4,  2023.

In the near future the boot will  be adorned with laces — about 60 feet of braided rope.

“I love it. It’s an amazing boot. Barre did a phenomenal job, better than I could have hoped for,” says Evans. “We believe it will get a lot of attention.”