Radium Hot Springs, informally and commonly called Radium, is a village
of 1,339 residents in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia.
The village is named for the hot springs in the nearby Kootenay National
Park. From Banff, Alberta, it is accessible via Highway 93.
On entering Radium Hot Springs from Kootenay National Park, the two
RV Gypsies immediately noticed a number of life-sized wood carvings
on the roadside. The house was located across the street from the restaurant
the two RV Gypsies mentioned on the previous page of this website. Plus
it was the studio of local artist Rolf Heer who spent years carving
from stumps, driftwood or any other kind of unique wood found in the
area. He will always be Radium's most colorful resident and artist,
Rolf Heer.
The house shown below is located across the street from the restaurant shown on the previous page of this website.
Below:
The two RV Gypsies had lot of fun "getting behind the amazing
carvings."
Below: The two RV Gypsies were amazed at the spectacular array of carvings, from the smallest to the largest. They all had their own distinct character. Rolf Heer's woodcarving has been seen by people around the world and he was featured on the popular TV series "Weird Homes" and on "The Travel Channel." The two RV Gypsies would not call his house weird, they call it amazingly unique.
About the woodcarver: Rolf's eccentric appearance may fool many into believing he is something he is not. He is a mountain man with a love for nature and art. Many of his sculptures are done by a unique carving tool - the Chainsaw! Rolf's pet goats live on the roof of his house and Craft Shop. Complete with all the amenities, their own "goat chalet", a green meadow, everything a goat's heart could desire. Rolf's roof provides it all. He is well known for his chainsaw sculptures and for his unique looks and style of dress. Rolf's eccentric appearance may fool many into believing he is something he is not. He is a mountain man with a love for nature and art.
Many of his sculptures are done by a unique carving tool - the Chainsaw!
Rolf’s pet goats live on the roof of his house and Craft Shop (Although parts of the house did not even have a roof).. Complete with all the amenities, the goats have their own goat chalet, a green meadow, and everything a goat's heart desires, Rolf’s roof provides it all.
He lives and does much of his artwork in Radium where he is as well known for his chainsaw sculptures as he is for his unique multicolored hair and style of dress.
Rolf
Heer, the woodcarver who built and resided in Radium's iconic Home of
a Thousand Faces until it was destroyed by fire, died Tuesday, July 21,
2020 at age 66. Close friends were able to spend time with Heer during
his last days.
But while Heer, and his home, may be gone, his legacy will live on in
a public park and a local celebration. Heer was already suffering from
terminal cancer when his home was destroyed in a November 2018 fire.
The house, located at the busy intersection of Highways 93 and 95, was
a landmark in the B.C. mountain village and represented Heer's work for
more than 40 years.
The towering wooden structure jutted out of the earth like a marooned
ship, and was covered with faces, each one hand carved by Heer. There
are Community plans to build a public park where his home once stood,
in his memory with the help of a GoFundMe page.
The
two RV Gypsies feel blessed that they not only got to explore his unique
house and but they also got to meet Rolf Heer, the man that lived here
and did all these fabulous carvings. He had such a talent and a great
sense of humor, and Karen Duquette actually had her photo taken with him,
as shown below. The photo is blurry, but Karen will always treasure it.
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