Gully Area Painter Turns into Renaissance Man During COVID19

by Cindy Kolling

After the Minnesota Governor’s declaration of a Peacetime State of Emergency and a call to avoid group gatherings because of coronavirus concerns, followed by an official Stay at Home order; the Gully-Trail Lutheran Parish congregations followed with the decisions of other area churches by opting to suspend worship services and group activities until further review in May.

The Lund Lutheran Church of Gully was already getting some repair work and painting done in the entry by local painter Dennis Erickson.  There were quite a few large cracks in the plaster and a new paint job was long overdue. The front entry was added onto the church in the 1980’s and that might be when it was last painted.

The cancellation of Lent and Sunday services and activities with Confirmation classes and Ladies Aid have meant he can leave “work in progress”  without having to cleanup before services.  He has used the time doing deep repair on the cracks and then painting.  He has added custom made wood trim to cover some of the larger crack areas after he repaired them.  

The world has slowed for many during COVID19 and instead of people stopping in to check how things were going as they normally might; Dennis has had a quiet, peaceful setting to work in.

While perched on scaffolding right up next to the ceiling, he maybe felt a little connection to  Leonardo DaVinci.  As he painted, patched and pondered, his creative juices got flowing and he thought maybe he could put some lettering along part of the wood trim to commemorate the formal establishment of the Lund Congregation in 1898.  He ran that by congregation members with positive feedback. 

Under normal circumstances, he might not have thought about that extra detail; rather focusing on the next job or what he’d have for supper.  If he did think of it, he might have been inclined to stain or paint the letters. 

Instead, after projecting the letter outlines onto the trim boards, Dennis got out an old time wood chisel and picked up a hammer and started to chip the letters out.  The method he used is “intaglio”, which means carved into, rather than raised.  The wood he is carving is oak, which leaves a rich texture in the letters.  He chose a very appropriate typestyle.

Sooner or later, when the COVID19 practices of isolation eventually calm down and the weather gets warmer, Dennis will be juggling regular painting jobs again.  

Meanwhile… he has developed a new carving skill, and Lund Lutheran church-goers will long appreciate his quality work.   As they say; “Nothing is so bad it’s not good for something.”