Francois Lavigne

It may come as a surprise that Vancouver Island is home to its own ‘ivory’ trade. Fortunately, it’s cruelty-free and doesn’t come from elephants or rhinos. However, the material is still highly contentious in these parts. For the past two-and-a-half years, Francois Lavigne has been hard at work etching out a niche for himself. He’s a wood carver whose primary material these days comes from the trunk of the notorious invasive plant, Scotch broom. He calls his product ‘Island Ivory.’ …The finished product is smooth and glossy, a far cry from the scraggly roadside growth that’s brought the ire of many environmentalists since its introduction from Europe in 1850. Lavigne says he started to carve the wood because it was cheap and plentiful. …He mainly makes spoons and knife-like spreaders, but also dabbles in other small items like hairpins and barrettes.