By Jack Taylor , Photos by Emily Porter
Imagine living next to a dinosaur. Local driftwood artist Joe Treat gets to live this reality every day.
After moving to Bow around five years ago, Treat picked up woodworking as a way to keep busy after retirement. After failing to make simple things like chairs and tables, Treat decided to do what anyone else would do — make a giant triceratops. Within hours of putting his work out in his field, he had people knocking on his door asking about it.
“Since that time, I have made 52 sculptures,” Treat says. Among them are an elephant, a horse, an alligator, and other dinosaurs.
Over time, the number of spectators has also increased. Currently, Treat says he gets anywhere from 10-15 families a day.
“It’s a good, safe thing to do,” Treat says. “People are bringing their families and there’s never more than one family at a time.”
Treat will also show families his work room, so long as they have face masks.
As for how he comes up with his ideas, Treat does lots of research before deciding on his next creation. One thing he always does is start with the animal’s head.
“If the heads are not convincing, then I don’t want to finish it,” Treat says. “I want it to look as real as possible.”
His creations are so life-like, Treat says his own dogs sometimes bark at the sculptures.
“I’ve even caught myself a couple of times doing a double take when I walk out in the morning,” he says.
To see Treat’s one-of-a-kind zoo for yourself, simply take a cruise down Worline Road in Bow.
