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Published Aug 16, 2025 • 2 minute read
John David Hart, a stone sculptor from Chatham, carves a piece of granite Saturday next to Sarnia Bay as part of the weekend Sarnia Artpath event. Photo by Paul Morden /The ObserverArticle content
John David Hart came to Sarnia’s Artpath with plans to leave something behind when the weekend event was finished.
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The veteran stone carver got to work Friday, before the two-day summer event began Saturday near Sarnia Bay and downtown, carving owls from two large pieces of granite provided by DeGroot’s Nurseries as part of a project with the Lions Club International.
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Hart, who was born in Strathroy and had careers as a broadcaster, miner, 911 operator and teacher, retired in the Chatham area with his partner Marjorie Malloy Corman Green and they joined the Chatham Lions Club just over a year ago.
He started out painting as a young man and later began carving stone, becoming a bit of an evangelist of the art form.
Marjorie Malloy Corman Green holds a miniature lion Saturday next to partner John David Hart, a stone sculptor from Chatham, Saturday at Sarnia’s Artpath community event. Paul Morden/The Observer Photo by Paul Morden /The Observer
The sculpture resulting from his weekend of carving, along with some of his owl sketches, are being donated to the group that organized Artpath, Hart said.
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If it wishes to, Artpath can have prints of the sketches made and offer them in exchange for donations, he said.
Hart connected with the Sarnia event that saw artists, craft sellers, entertainers and community groups set up booths at locations around downtown and Mitton Village, because he had carved during event at DeGroot’s in the city a few years ago
The Lion’s Club message is “lead to serve, serve to lead,” Hart said.
“If you can come up with your own project that serves the community with kindness and caring” and also helps raise some funds, “that’s the goal,” he said.
Hart said he’s working to form a group of club members who will learn to carve stone as a way to support the service club’s projects.
John David Hart, a stone sculptor from Chatham, carves a piece of granite Saturday next to Sarnia Bay. Paul Morden/The Observer Photo by Paul Morden /The Observer
He recently completed a similar carving project at a community event in Chatham and organized an upcoming event at the Old River Farm in Glencoe that is expected to draw in students for a stone carving class who will be encouraged to become members of the Lion’s Club stone sculptor’s group, he said.
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“It’s not that hard,” Hart said about learning to carve stone. “It’s easier than carving wood. I’m not even kidding you.”
And stone lasts, even when it’s displayed outdoors, he said.
“Works I did 30, 40 years ago are like the day I did them,” Hart said. “It looks like we put them there yesterday.”
One of the granite pieces Hart was working with on the weekend was a “sugar stone,” which he said is his favourite.
“It’s a soft stone, so it’s beautiful to carve and it’s got a sweet smell to it,” he said.
John David Hart, a stone sculptor from Chatham, carves a piece of granite Saturday as part of Sarnia Artpath. Paul Morden/The Observer Photo by Paul Morden /The Observer
“There’s chemistry in every stone,” Hart said. “They’re all different.”
The other piece of granite was also “beautiful” with red and green running through it, he said.
“When we get it all done and wash it down and get a finish on it, it will look just spectacular,” Hart said.
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