CLANCY -- When Dan McArdle was a child, he dreamed of a future as a wood-carver.

And now he's on the verge of making this dream come true.

Surrounded by a ponderosa pine forest, his workshop reveals a few of his latest creations -- some of which will be on display at a one-day exhibit with other local artisans from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday at Dancing Lotus Center at 40 N. Last Chance Gulch.

Two life-sized wolves carved from Douglas fir pace the workshop, captured mid-stride.

And out the window, through drifting, fluffy snowflakes -- the face of a sleeping goddess wreathed in vines and flowers rests above the greenhouse door.

More wood furniture and carvings are in the nearby home McArdle shares with his wife, Heather McRee, and their two children, Willa and Finn.

The headboard of Willa's bed, carved from eastern white pine, has a magical, storybook quality. A kindly Father Sleep, with flowing hair and beard, peers over the horizon from a star-twinkling sky.

Finn's headboard is still a vision in McArdle's head.

It will be a carved relief of a American Indian with a drawn bow sighting down an arrow. One bedpost will be the bow, the other the quiver of arrows.

The key to wood carving success is patience.

"You need to give it time. You need to set it down and come back later and then you see all kinds of things," he said. "With figure carving ... of animals and faces, it's hard to keep an objective eye.

"You tend to see things that aren't there. You can carve it in your head and will it to completion."

A self-taught wood-carver, McArdle began working with wood as a child attending a Waldorf School outside of New York City.

He started by making bowls and spoons. But in seventh grade, students began to use gouges -- and that's when McArdle got hooked on wood carving.

For some years, he set aside carving and pursued an interest in drawing.

Then one winter, when he was laid off from a carpentry job, he picked up wood carving again.

He's also worked at fine furniture and cabinet making and fine home building for a total of 15 years.

But, it's the wood carving that's his passion.

Last year, he was commissioned to carve decorative heads of bighorn sheep for the Yellowstone Club bar.

Some of his work has been carried at the Tierra Montana gallery in Livingston.

Wood carving fits well with his current life as a stay-at-home dad. Sometimes, Willa joins him in his workshop and carves her own project.

Yet, wood is a demanding and unforgiving medium. The wolves are just one example.

McArdle has already put in 100 hours on carving one before he begins the finer details on the legs. If he takes away too much, they won't look realistic. And they could become too fragile, making the work unstable.

"With wood, once it's gone, it's gone," he said. "Another challenge is to be more efficient, to cut to the chase."

The wolves require at least 150 hours to complete. The mirror frames are equally demanding.

Because wood carving is so time-consuming, commissions are "not for the squeamish," he said.

That makes carving out a market for his work another challenge.

But he's doing what he dreamed of.

"This is it. I told myself I have to really give this a go to see if I can make it profitable and self-sustaining."

Reporter Marga Lincoln: 447-4074 or marga.lincoln@helenair.com

About the show

Saturday's show is at Dancing Lotus Center, 40 N. Last Chance Gulch (next to the Parrot) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Other artisans include: Becky Baraby -- mirrors, candle holders, unique boxes;

Melisa Kaiser Synness -- decorative pillows;

Gail Beckner and Jennifer McCullough -- jewelry;

Bobbi Dancer -- miniature shrines