Edmonton Journal from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada • 107

FA1Z3LY yjLLAGZ 'SXJBANFFXOM Sato Tnds May 3f, 20Cg 1 EDITOR: JANET VUEG, 498-5687; travelthejournal.southam.ca SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2002 EDMONTON JOURNAL loo ff i'xH ft 1 3 Tourists ride along the Playa Espadilla, a two-kilometre long beach on the edge of Manuel Antonio National Park. v-- --Kl No ordinary souvenirs from master craftsman Barry Biesanz SILVIO DOBRI Journal Staff Writer BELLO HORIZONTE, COSTA RICA a GREG SOUTHAM, THE JOURNAL A pre-Columbian shaped bowl made of cocobolo i t7Cr Ji to their appearance. And the pre-Columbian-styled bowls are awash with intricate patterns made by fungi and beedes which worked their way into the wood. These abstract swirls give the larger bowls an appearance of medieval nautical charts. Some of the more delicate bowls are as light and thin as paper, accenting the colours and grain, while others are thick, emphasizing the rough and smooth elements of hardwoods such as rosewood (cocobolo).

Biesanz prefers cocobolo more than any other tree because it's attractive, giving him lots of variations in shape, figure and colour. He calls cocobolo a flexible wood that "stands up to the gouge." Only lignum vitae (the tree of life) is hardier, but the latter grows slowly and it's on the endangered species list. Pieces displaying the Biesanz signature are prized and pricey, and found only in select galleries, including about 50 in the United States. Four American presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter have Biesanz bowls and jewelry boxes in their collections. European royals also value his creations, as does the Costa Rican government, which presents Biesanz's objects d'art to visiting dignitaries.

Barry Biesanz is in his mid-50s with an air of an easy-going flower-powered hippy. He's just as keen to talk about wood and his work as he is about fblkmusic and sufism. He has a collection of books on sufism in a corner of his showroom. And visitors to his Bello Horizonte gallery showing an interest in his work are invited to tour the workshop on a hillside overlooking San Jose. Piles of logs of almost every exotic tree grown in Costa Rica are everywhere outside the work No traveller can resist a souvenir shop.

tourist dollars have spawned a glut of such moder-aterypriced shops in San Jose, the artisans' avenue in Moravia, the colourful ox cart town of Sarchi, and every resort hotel along Costa Rica's Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Shopkeepers and hawkers everywhere mouthing the same mantra in a dozen languages: "Just for you! Something special! Something nice, good and cheap!" items they proffer are leather goods, ceramics, paintings of rural landscapes in wa-tercolours and oils shell necklaces, earrings and bracelets, T-shirts and hats. Not to mention the assortment ofwood products salad bowls, place mats, walking sticks, masks, boxes, gaudily painted toucans, puzzles, and varying sizes of the brightly decorated Costa Rican oxcarts. Kitschwraprmapilgrim'ssen- timentality for the most part, yet any of these colourful objects I d'art are sure to please friends $nd family back home. Costa Rica's artisans and artists I 'alike are skillfully reviving the tra- -ditional and exploring the con- temporary in their workshops.

however, when it comes to wood products most seem content with 'producing items that sell more for I their easy portability than artis-' uc merit. And then there are master craftsmen like Barry Biesanz. Biesanz's bowls have a Shaker simplicity to them, yet they're stunning. Smooth sensual curves, with the knots and grain reflecting the wood's natural harmony have a Japan I 1 T. tj 1V i II" ft 1 PHOTOS SILVIO DOBRI, THE JOURNAL Barry Biesanz concentrates as he works to shape a bowl on his Canadian-made lathe.

Biesanz Woodworks Function, elegance and low maintenance are the basics of all Biesanz wood products. But you don't have to go to Costa Rica to buy his objects d'art. Prices are in U.S. dollars. Bowls start at about $100 Chopstick set $70 Humidors $75 to $950 Cremation urns begin at $400 Northwest Gallery of Fine Woodworking in Seattle, is the closest dealer carrying Biesanz woodworks www.nwfinewoodworking.com Biesanz Woodworks' website iswww.biesanz.com Jewelry boxes $110 to $500 Small boxes $29 to $90 Tea box $50 Craftsman paints the oxcart panels at a Sarchi souvenir factory.

It 1 tree. "Some of this is scavenged wood and local farmers bring me their fallen or dead trees, especially the gnarly ones. I could never bring myself to cut a tree, even though I have lots planted on my properties," he says. ese quality shop. Yet Biesanz has not cut a single v.

m4! a a ill See COSTA RICA I K2 I Ji i At (i i VI iJ3 Glowing lava is often seen at night as it flows down the slopes of the Arenal volcano. The leafy splendour of the topiary park arches lead to the whitewashed church at Zarcero. mm ToFrom EDMONTON no advance purchase necessary roundtrip or one way no Saturday night stay required inflight meals entertainment advance seat selection available cioiscrvicc FLIGHTS OPERATED BY SExyseruice Air Only prices are applicable for one way per pers jn, for new bookings onfy and subject to change without notice. Departure taxes, fuel currency surcharges applicable GST are additional. All prices are available at press tone.

Prices quoted are not available on all dates and may vary according to travel dates Departures from Edmonton. To book call your travel agent I -866-232-4722 or book online at MmI mm ixtoitini i tit ik up to 3 flights weekly Monday, Wednesday Friday until Oct 28.