two-day summer event<\/a> began Saturday near Sarnia Bay and downtown, carving owls from two large pieces of granite provided by DeGroot\u2019s Nurseries as part of a project with the Lions Club International.<\/p>\nArticle content<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
He started out painting as a young man and later began carving stone, becoming a bit of an evangelist of the art form.<\/p>\n
![\"Artpath](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0818-so-artpath5.so_.jpg\")
Marjorie Malloy Corman Green holds a miniature lion Saturday next to partner John David Hart, a stone sculptor from Chatham, Saturday at Sarnia\u2019s Artpath community event. Paul Morden\/The Observer Photo by Paul Morden \/The Observer<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s in the city a few years ago<\/p>\n
The Lion\u2019s Club message is \u201clead to serve, serve to lead,\u201d Hart said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you can come up with your own project that serves the community with kindness and caring\u201d and also helps raise some funds, \u201cthat\u2019s the goal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hart said he\u2019s working to form a group of club members who will learn to carve stone as a way to support the service club\u2019s projects.<\/p>\n
![\"Artpath](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0818-so-artpath3.so_.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n
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\u2019s Club stone sculptor\u2019s group, he said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s not that hard,\u201d Hart said about learning to carve stone. \u201cIt\u2019s easier than carving wood. I\u2019m not even kidding you.\u201d<\/p>\n
And stone lasts, even when it\u2019s displayed outdoors, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorks I did 30, 40 years ago are like the day I did them,\u201d Hart said. \u201cIt looks like we put them there yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the granite pieces Hart was working with on the weekend was a \u201csugar stone,\u201d which he said is his favourite.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a soft stone, so it\u2019s beautiful to carve and it\u2019s got a sweet smell to it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"Artpath](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0818-so-artpath4.so_.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s chemistry in every stone,\u201d Hart said. \u201cThey\u2019re all different.\u201d<\/p>\n
The other piece of granite was also \u201cbeautiful\u201d with red and green running through it, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we get it all done and wash it down and get a finish on it, it will look just spectacular,\u201d Hart said.<\/p>\n
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![\"Artpath](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0818-so-artpath2.so_.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n