YORKTON – A Yorkton artist's repurposed doors were a hit at the annual Sunflower Art & Craft Market.
At 30 minutes into the two-day market, Jodie Rusnak had sold seven of the 33 vintage tree doors that she had on display.
Rusnak told SaskToday.ca the vintage doors are ones she typically finds online through Facebook Marketplace or online auctions.
"Each door has a little story and I try to refurbish the hardware and make sure that it's all functioning," said Rusnak, adding, "if I can — I try to have a piece of hardware on every door whether it came with it or not and then every tree is original."
Rusnak said that she creates the trees alongside her father and has been doing so for the past three years, though this is her first time selling them at Sunflower.
"I started off with the large trees and this year I incorporated small trees. Funny enough the small trees are just as much work as the large trees," said Rusnak.
Rusnak said some of the doors are more than a century old, dating back to the 1800s, and noted the lumber from the oldest tree door came from an abandoned farmhouse near Whitewood.
And, Rusnak said she's acquired more local doors in the past, noting some from those of the St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church monastery — which was demolished in July of 2022 — were used in her work.
"Those ones were beautiful," said Rusnak of the monastery doors, "they had a very intricate design to them. They weren't your typical traditional style door."
And when it comes to the process of restoring the doors, Rusnak said it can be difficult.
"When you start sanding them down some of them sand easily and some of them don't. Back in the day they were very strong oil paint," said Rusnak.
Still, Rusnak said she prefers the doors in their original state.
"I think it's best to keep them to their original state. What's actually really fun is to see the transitions and the colours that the doors have gone through. Some of the doors I see three, four, five different colours as I'm sanding them."
Those interested in the trees can contact Rusnak by text at 306-641-6144.
