Standing alongside his workbench, Thomas Renouf tinkers with a cut of wood. As he meticulously shapes and moulds the woods contours into his desired form, beams of natural light flood in from the window in front of him. Taking a pause from his work, Renouf stops and looks out the window. Met with a view of the deep blue waters of the recently thawed Ottawa River, Renouf reflects on the beauty of his home on Calumet Island. It is, after all, picturesque settings like Calumet Island – and any number of other scenic backdrops throughout the Pontiac – that inspire Renouf’s work.
Content with what he’s seen, Renouf returns to task. Carefully, he fastens his crafted wood – now a door – into the entranceway of his previously finished log cabin. After ensuring its proper installation, Renouf picks up the cabin to inspect his work. He nods to himself in approval of what he’s accomplished and sets the cabin back down upon his workbench.
Renouf builds miniatures. A hobby that involves recreating everyday things on a smaller scale, Renouf lovingly and painstakingly replicates settings he’s seen throughout the Pontiac and amongst his vivid imagination. His speciality is farmsteads and cabins. Using recycled wood, rocks, shingles and pieces of metal, Renouf crafts intricately detailed scenes reflective of life in the Pontiac.
Spending hours in his workshed, Renouf breathes life into his replicas. More than just mere recreations of buildings, his artworks contain minute details that transport the viewer to the setting he is reproducing. Animal figurines are placed gingerly throughout the scene, adding a sense of sprightliness. Mini clothespins sit on the cottage’s backyard clotheslines. Sticks have been exhaustively broken, split and stacked to look like wood piles. The building’s chimneys – through use of burning mosquito repellent candles – even produce smoke. No detail goes overlooked.
With a memorable smile, Renouf oozes a good-natured temperament. An individual who wants the things they enjoy to yield enjoyment for those around them as well, his creations are often in the service of others. Renouf spends weeks exhaustively replicating the real life properties of his friends and loved ones. Whether their current homes or places from their past, Renouf diligently researches, plans and recreates the setting in an attempt to not only capture its aesthetic, but also its aura. He is fastidious in his attention to detail.
“They can’t get over it,” said Renouf. “They always ask ‘how do you have the patience to do all this?’”
A man with an innate love and appreciation for history, Renouf credits his twin brother and east-coast roots for having fostered the hobby within him. Hailing from Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Renouf’s brother would craft replicas of schooners and fishing boats as a pastime. In a reflection of their maritime environment, his creations were physical manifestations of life along the ocean.
“We lived on the Atlantic Ocean,” said Renouf. “He made the things he did because that is what we saw most of our lives.”
Having been inspired by the talents of his brother, Renouf took up the hobby for himself. A drive to explore Canada beyond the Maritimes and the love of a woman from Calumet Island – now his wife – brought him to the Pontiac. Trading in the shanties and intrepid waves of the Atlantic Ocean for the expansive forests and thunderous rivers of Quebec, Renouf began crafting scenes more in-line with his new surroundings. Inspired by the quintessential beauty of the region’s farmsteads and cabins, Renouf set out to capture the essence of the Pontiac’s landscape.
His workshed is now his sanctuary. As he hews his materials into shape, a calmness overtakes him. Taking breaks to enjoy the view afforded to him by his small workshop window, Renouf finds peace in the pursuit of his creations.
“I just come in here and lose myself,” said Renouf. “It’s therapeutic for me.”
A community oriented man with a yearning for building earnest connections with others, Renouf’s miniatures are the manifestation of his gregarious spirit. A love-language fashioned out of wood and metal, his creations transcend their physical nature in the message of care and appreciation they bestow upon their recipient.
“The older you get, the shorter life is,” said Renouf wistfully. “I realize now how important the people around you are.”
