My mom often reminds us of the only time she saw our older boy cry. We were visiting Orcas Island as tourists one summer eight years ago and Zackarya Leck was demonstrating his skills at the Farmers’ Market at the Village Green. Our son, who was four years old at the time, watched Zackarya with so much zeal that he wanted to dive right in and help. Zackarya must have read his mind because he asked him to come assist him. But when it came time to wield the large, sharp axe, Zackarya wouldn’t let our son do that part. He cried his eyes out and now it’s one of our funny family memories.
Since then, we’ve watched from afar as Zackarya has consistently persisted in continuing his craft. We see his sculptures displayed in various downtown and garden locations, and he is one of our favorite stops on this annual studio tour. His demos are eye-opening since most of us aren’t working daily with blazing hot furnaces, molten metal, and dangerously abrupt stampers – our boys love it – and his gentle, affable nature make this studio stop a yearly no-brainer. Visit his site for more about him.
