University Village Residents Creating Art Out of Wood

On any given afternoon, you can find Mary and Roger Anderson with chisels in their hands cutting intricate designs into wood. Their 30 years of masterpieces are sitting on shelves inside their University Village Thousand Oaks home. From the band named after their grandchildren to the Sponge Bob Square Pants piece, each creation has a story behind it.

The couple turned to woodcarving to cope with the tragic death of their son. After taking classes, they began their first creation, a cowboy figurine. That piece still puts a smile on Roger’s face.

Since that time, they’ve made more than 200 pieces of wooden art from the smallest fly on the nose of a donkey to the Seven Dwarfs that took nearly 3 years to create. The couple enjoys each other’s company, and the calmness they receive from the fresh-cut butternut wood.

The Andersons have donated many pieces of art to their friends at University Village, the senior living community they’ve called home for three years. They often also share their hobby with others at the community’s annual hobbies fair.