Doctor Aimé Burdier, general practitioner in Dunières from 1981 to 2004, then worked in geriatrics at Clos Champirol in Saint-Priest-en-Jarez.
Even if he maintains a small professional activity, his retirement allows him to devote himself to the many activities he enjoys, such as cycling, fly fishing or gardening. But winter is also devoted to a more original pastime, reclaimed wood sculpture.
Love of wood
“I always liked working with wood,” remembers Doctor Burdier: “when I was little, I was already making slingshots for my friends, but now I have the tools. »
Furniture, lamps, decorative objects, the range is vast, with a clear predilection for driftwood, recovered along the Dunière, along the rivers and beaches of France, or even abroad during trips : “I don’t go fishing without bringing back a piece of wood!” »
“It’s the shape of the wood that decides”
Among the objects created, abstract shapes sit alongside numerous fish and birds. “What I like is the finishing work to make the wood smooth,” explains Doctor Burdier. For the rest, “it’s the shape of the wood that decides. For example, to make a fish, the branch must be a little twisted. »
Often, the final creation already appears in the raw object, which will then have to be shaped with a vice, band saw, rasp and disc. “If I had to keep only one,” estimates the amateur sculptor, “it would be a poplar root that I found along the Loire. The tree had been uprooted by a flood. We went back with a chainsaw, because I really wanted to! »
