Imagination Corporation
42392 Yarrow Central Rd. V2R 5E2 Chilliwack, BC, Canada

Drumming. We received word this morning that the giant drum arrived safe and sound yesterday. It was unloaded from the truck and should have been assembled today. We still await photos. In the meantime we are working on small presentation models of the drum which will be sent off early next week. They are ready for the final glaze on the ‘gravel’ in the base and then a shot of mild acid to start the rust patina process. https://www.imaginationcorporation.com/journal//27/drumming

Heavy duty sign Matt is building and entering a piece for the Sign Invitational this year. He got a bit of a late start and is now up against the deadline (like me this year) With only a little more than a week to go he is quickly making up for lost time. Matt’s piece is definitely heavy duty, for it is largely fabricated from welded plasma cut steel. It’s going to be a beauty! https://www.imaginationcorporation.com//2//heavy-duty-sign

They go all the way up The three tall posts in the sitting area of the North Star suite are now fully sculpted. Their completion changed the look in a dramatic fashion, making the domed ceiling look even higher. This space is nothing short of spectacular, no matter which direction one looks. Next up is the wall adjacent to the pillars. Stay tuned https://www.imaginationcorporation.com//they-go-all-the-wa

Kids in the shop Today, I spent a little time polishing off an article for SignCraft magazine. The article was titled ‘Kids in the shop’. For me, digging through the old pictures and writing the article was a wonderful trip down memory lane. Writing the article made me appreciate how fortunate I am to have had a home based business for the last forty-five years. Our kids and grandkids have been able to spend countless hours in the shop as they grew up. It started back when Pe...ter was only two weeks old and continues to this day with the grand kids. While I have done my best to pass on what I know, the kids have taught me far more - especially about what is truly important. The joy of discovery, the wonder of things new, the art of imagination, the act of pretending, plus a thousand other things all are immensely more important than real work. Kids grow up far too fast and will soon be on to other things. Work can easily be fit around the important stuff. https://www.imaginationcorporation.com//24/kids-in-the-shop

Locked and loaded As scheduled, the crane from Wishlow pulled into the driveway at 8:00 am sharp. We were ready. With Greg’s steady hand at the controls we disassembled the remaining pieces of the drum and base. Just after 8:30 the truck arrived and the loading began. It went like clockwork. The largest piece weighed in at a hefty 9,400 lbs. We lifted, placed, stacked and fastened everything in place with our custom made brackets. The crane was on its way by 11:00 and at 11:30 the load was secured and ready for its journey to the Arctic Circle. By Saturday evening the base and drum should be assembled on site. Hopefully, we will get some pictures of the assembled drum in its final location soon. https://www.imaginationcorporation.com///locked-and-loaded

Brick magic We’ve been doing prep work for a long while in the North Star suite of the Hazelnut Inn. Sub-structures, wiring, plumbing and a host of other small jobs. In the last week Peter and Mat have been busy buttoning up the area around the staircase in preparation for the decorative sculpting that would soon follow. Today was that day. They managed to trowel on almost 3/4 of a yard of fibreglass reinforced concrete and then sculpt it into the shape of a beautiful brick wall with posts to hold up the roof. It is looking much more finished in a hurry! https://www.imaginationcorporation.com//2/2/19/brick-magic

Little bits It was a day for a myriad of small catch-up projects. We welded up some small armatures on the Vala’s Pumpkin Patch signs and tied on the wire in readiness for some more sculpting as soon as our epoxy arrives. Once sun project was the giant chicken on Zoe’s Pizza sign. https://www.imaginationcorporation.com//2/2/18/little-bits

Gnarly woodgrain at last! When the weather got wintery we stopped doing concrete work. Then came the Arctic Circle drum project. Then it was winter once again for the last few weeks. Today, the sun was shining and the temps were warm - a perfect day to do some concrete mixing once again. Grant fired up the mixer and Matt and Peter got busy sculpting the tree that holds up the Legs & Cakes sign. This afternoon’s job was to do the areas without the bark. They did a masterful job on the twisted and gnarly woodgrain. Tomorrow will come the bark on the rest of the tree. https://www.imaginationcorporation.com//gnarly-woodgrain-a

Hidden gem When Peter needed a sturdy bracket to hold up the counter in the small eating area of the North Star suite he decided to first rummage through our steel scrap area in the back corner of the shop. He found the prototype of a bracket we had crafted for under the eves of the tower roof. This welded steel seahorse would serve nicely under the counter as it was plenty sturdy and just the right size. Chances are not many guests will see this little hidden gem but those who happen to look there will be rewarded. https://www.imaginationcorporation.com//20/2/16/hidden-gem

Day off with the kids. It’s a holiday today which meant the shop was quiet- except for the noise Henry and I made. We did a few things in the shop, with full safety gear of course but the fresh snow was calling loudly outside. It was time for a fun tractor ride as we cleared the sidewalks for a block in each direction from our house. Then it was time to build an awesome snowman with Juniper’s help, complete with a carrot nose and two grapes for eyes. (Rocks get left in the grass when everything melts and the lawn mower finds them every time.) It wasn’t long before we were all too cold to stay outside so it was back in the house to find something exciting to do. https://www.imaginationcorporation.com//day-off-with-the-k

One of a kind gate! The sculpted dragon for the Copper Crown garden gate is coming along nicely. There are an unbelievable number of pieces now welded together with just the ears and wings to add before final assembly of the door. It is truly a one of a kind gate! http://www.imaginationcorporation.com///one-of-a-kind-gate

Great memories! As we learn to cope with the current realities of COVID19 and the necessary restrictions it makes me so grateful for all we have been privileged to do in past years. My art career has allowed me to do countless fun experiences and visit so many places through the years. Our work has taken me to Dubai, the Caribbean, France, Japan, as well as countless trips across Canada and the USA. In the course of our projects I’ve sailed in cruise ships, tall ships, rode t...he rails in steam trains, and journeyed in land vehicles and airplanes of every description and size. My work has allowed me to gaze at so many natural wonders of this world, visit vast cities, tour incredible factories and witness so many amazing projects that simply defy description. Every experience and place has influenced me in profound ways and continually shape our projects. The current confinement makes me appreciate past journeys more than ever before. I look forward to travelling and experiencing many more wonderful places in the future but for this short duration I will be content with the memories of past adventures. http://www.imaginationcorporation.com//11/21/great-memories

A good head start It is always good to get a head start on a project. The many hundreds of scales are now securely welded to the long body of the dragon and I’ve begun work on the head at last. They say a good sculpture is best tackled by getting the eyes right from the start so I first welded two steel eye balls in place and worked from there. In a couple of hours it started looking a lot like a dragon head. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll finish it off. Stay tuned http://www.imaginationcorporation.com//16/a-good-head-start

Details, large and small We planned most of the exterior details of the Hazelnut Inn when we built the scale model and stuck faithfully to those original ideas. On the inside our journey has been more along the lines of we’ll figure it out as we go. We had a good idea what we wanted but hadn’t taken the time to plan it all out. Once we were underway Peter thought up the ideas faster than we could build them. Some details like this gable wall insert which will be sculpted to resemble brick are large, others are small, but every single feature is in service of the story. It is going to be a fabulous space from every possible angle! http://www.imaginationcorporation.com//details-large-and-s

Back in the saddle When COVID and the high waters of spring season hit I stopped riding my bike along the trails temporarily. Many sections of the trails along the river were closed due to flooding. Since then I got out of the habit of a good long ride each day. Later, the summer heat and business of our shop made it easy to just let it slide for a while. I still jumped on the bike for short trips in town but missed those longer rides along the river. Janis (and I) noticed th...at I was starting to get a little rounder shape of late and she encouraged me to get active once again. This morning I decided it was time to get back on the trail once more and headed down to the river for a twenty kilometre ride. It didn’t take long to get back in the groove and the scenery was as beautiful as ever, with the last of the fall colours on the trees. Since the salmon are spawning, the wildlife was plentiful as I blasted over the trails. I stopped just long enough to snap a picture of this eagle that was sitting in a tree less than 15 feet off the trail. It felt good to be back in the saddle once more! http://www.imaginationcorporation.com///back-in-the-saddle

All aboard! I’ve long loved trains. In fact, we have a 15 gauge train in progress (almost done) that runs around the perimeter of our property. Every grampa and grandchild should be so lucky! We are currently working on the preliminary plans for a similarly scaled railway for a customer. This gives me a chance to dive into train research in a big way which I love. I have a ton of books and some good friends in the industry. I love digging into the history as we create our st...ory. In this case we are considering a 2-6-0 Porter with a four wheel tender plus ten mining cars that will transport guests. While live steam would be awesome it isn’t practical for a theme park. This one will be battery power for silent and efficient operation. We’ll add the necessary sounds electronically. We are working with our friends at Hillcrest Trains once again to build the engine chassis and cars. We’ll build the train engine body. These talented folks helped us out with the pirate train for our Trinidad project a few years ago and did an awesome job! http://www.imaginationcorporation.com//20/11/14/all-aboard

36 sleeps to go! There’s only 36 more sleeps to go before Christmas. Today, Juniper asked when will we be putting up the giant Christmas wreath. With only 36 more sleeps there is simply no time to waste! We took our light display out of storage to check it over nd make sure every light was working. One string was faulty and I rushed to town to buy a replacement. Tomorrow, we’ll put it up on the front of our house and light it up or all to see. This is a year when we need LOTS of Christmas cheer! http://www.imaginationcorporation.com///19/36-sleeps-to-go

A few more scales The legs and feet of the dragon take the longest as they are welded bead after bead over bent pencil rod. Each foot and leg took a couple of hours of hot work to fashion. Today, I polished off the last of the four legs and did two batches of scales before quitting time snuck up on me. The dragon is looking pretty fine. Next week I’ll finish the scaled creature and then weld on the edges and back of the door, wedging in the planked middle section as I go. It’s going to be heavy lifting to swing it into place and I can hardly wait to see it between the two castle towers! http://www.imaginationcorporation.com//13/a-few-more-scales

Lunch with a view We often encourage our crew to stop and purposely take a good look at the work we are creating. Most projects go on for weeks or even months and the changes are gradual. It is easy to take it all for granted, concentrating on the day’s task without actually seeing how it all fits together so beautifully. Since I’ve smoothed out and shaped the massive pile of dirt out back it has become a favoured spot to take breaks. The vantage point is a great one and a good place to leisurely look over our work. It’s not common to have lunch overlooking a castle but it sure is nice! http://www.imaginationcorporation.com//28/lunch-with-a-view

One dragon to go! This afternoon I welded on the very last of the scales to finish the dragon on the Copper Crown garden door. With the dragon now complete the door can come off the welding table as we can begin the final assembly. It was (as they often are) a much larger project than I imagined at the beginning but the end result was well worth the effort. We look forward to seeing it upright and soon hanging in it’s permanent home. Stay tuned http://www.imaginationcorporation.com//11/18/one-dragon-to

How many Sawatzkys does it take to tighten a screw? Yesterday, after supper, when I went to have a bit of a relax in my favourite Lazy Boy chair it quickly became obvious something was terribly amiss. Peter and I flipped the love seat over to take a look. We determined a screw had come loose and fallen out of the footrest. As we looked for the missing screw and discussed the how we might get it back in position Henry came running with an assortment of tools including pliers, ...a screwdriver and a small hammer. He knows where the tool drawer is. He firmly pushed his way in between Peter and I while Juniper crowded in one the other side. They insisted they could fix the chair by themselves and didn’t need help from the grownups. Eventually, we convinced the kids that daddy and grampa should at least check their work. It wasn’t long until I could have a sit-down, relax and put my feet up for a little while. Good help is never far away at our house. http://www.imaginationcorporation.com//how-many-sawatzkys-

VERY COOL!! When we took coffee break today in the shop Matt was complaining that his hands were frozen. Grant commented that he had to break the ice on the water buckets when he started mixing concrete. I didn’t notice the cold as I was busy designing some new projects in my nice warm studio. Once the sun came over the mountain I bundled up to venture out and take a look at the concrete sculpting they were doing at the Hazelnut Inn. As I admired the fine work they had done I did my very best to encourage them with my heartfelt comment VERY COOL!! http://www.imaginationcorporation.com//2020/10/26/very-cool

Garden door dragon

Magic view This week the hand sculpted concrete work on the outside of the castle tower will be completed. In preparation for that work the oval window was installed this past week and for the first time we could catch a glimpse of the magic view guests will experience as they peek out of the little kitchen nook which will be in the lower tower. While there is much still to finish in this area we can imagine the vista into the private courtyard garden. It will indeed be a magical experience! http://www.imaginationcorporation.com//20/10/25/magic-view

Video interview with Christian Rogers When I was growing up I would have thought that writing published articles or giving presentations would have been the last thing possible in my life. But I’ve been blessed to have many such opportunities to do those things many, many times through the years and I enjoy it each time. Last week I did a video interview with Associate Professor Christian Rogers which is to be shared with students at Purdue/Indiana University as part of their... themed entertainment education program. Christian asked some great questions which I was pleased to answer. The interview was fun and went on for a little longer than most. We covered a wide variety of subjects. For those who want to listen in here’s the link https://iu.mediaspace.kaltura.com//Dan+Sawatsky/1_732503oh http://www.imaginationcorporation.com//video-interview-wit

Winter is coming! We generally only have to deal with snowfalls a few times each year in southwestern British Columbia. Although I’m looking forward to plowing the driveway with the new tractor I’m in no hurry to do so. Today dawned wet and cool locally and for the first time this year we saw a little fresh snow fall on Vedder Mountain, elevation 3032 feet. We live at 65 feet above sea level. Hopefully the wet cold stuff stays on top of the mountain for a while yet! http://www.imaginationcorporation.com//10/23/winter-is-com

Just a little peek at view from our window.

Troweling on the mud The sculpted concrete work has begun in earnest on the front of the Copper Crown castle. The highest gable was sculpted in it’s entirety this afternoon as well as the stone work on the lower castle tower. It is always amazing how fast this step of the work gets done. Much of the balance of the surface is a plainer, aged plaster which goes even quicker. The weatherman is promising favourable weather tomorrow which means big progress. Stay tuned http://www.imaginationcorporation.com//troweling-on-the-mud

Almost ready for the mud... The front of the castle is coming along nicely although it is a bit hard to visualize at this early stage. Forming the armature for the sculpted concrete work involves welding up a pencil rod frame and then forming and attaching the galvanized lath. This is the time intensive process. Since the pencil rod and lath are transparent and hard to visualize it doesn’t look like much to the casual observer. When we get to towelling on and sculpting the concrete it will come together very quickly. That process is about to begin very soon. We are almost ready for the mud http://www.imaginationcorporation.com//almost-ready-for-th

Looking back... I am pleased and honoured to sit on an advisory board for the Computer Graphics Technology program at Purdue University in Indiana which has a focus on the theme park industry. Today, I did an online video interview which will be presented as a small part of the student program. The focus of today’s discussion was how we started the Imagination Corporation and the Hazelnut Inn project. One of the many questions I was asked was ‘how long we had been working on ...the Hazelnut Inn project?’ I knew the answer generally but later decided to check myself by looking at some pictures we keep on file. The first complete large pieces, done after planning for the Hazelnut Inn, and during the basic construction dated back to March of 2018. Some of the signs dated about nine months previous to that with the planning going back another year yet. The first pieces completed and pushed out the shop door were the large face and the Atlantis stone which repose up in the North Star garden. At times it seems like a lifetime ago, but when looking at the current state of the project I realize we have really come a very long ways in a relatively short time. Time really does fly when you are having fun! http://www.imaginationcorporation.com///10/19/looking-back

Henry's favourite Henry and Juniper visited the zoo this afternoon. They really enjoyed seeing the animals but one particular animal enclosure really caught Henry’s attention. Inside was a large, and obviously very wild excavator. Henry absolutely LOVES all things tractor! Although it was inside the deer enclosure it wasn’t a Deere. The bright yellow machine had obviously been playing in the mud. Sadly, it was sleeping while they were there, but a highlight of Henry’s visit just the same. http://www.imaginationcorporation.com//10/18/henrys-favour

A sign of fall This afternoon it was cool and cloudy but just dry enough to cut the lawn which needed trimming. I know from experience to do it whenever I get the chance this time of year as it rains frequently in these parts. As I mowed the grass I heard a racket overhead, even over the noise of the mower. It was a large gaggle of Canada geese heading south. Seeing them reminded me that cooler weather was soon coming. I took my time riding around our small acreage on the yard tractor, a task I enjoy. There won’t be very many more mowings until it warms up next year. http://www.imaginationcorporation.com//10/17/a-sign-of-fall

You can now read "Under the beautiful skin." on our Journal - Imagination Corporation: http://www.imaginationcorporation.com//under-the-beautiful