Artistic side
Woodcarver Andrew “Skip” Pavlischak didn’t start creating art until he was 40. An illness had laid him up for three months. As he lay in bed, a friend visited and gave him a block of wood and a knife. So it began.
“I was glad when he was introduced to it. It’s a wonderful outlet and allows a way of expressing a side of himself that others don’t see,” said Cindy, his wife of 22 years.
He produces his work in a basement room and in the shop of his Valley home. Real wildlife can be seen on his property while his wildlife creations fill the rooms of his home.
His first carving of a cowboy sheriff went on to win a beginner’s carving award. The piece was titled “The Law” which was quite fitting seeing as Pavlischak, 55, has been in law enforcement for more than 30 years. With the Spokane Police Department for 27 years, Pavlischak has expertise in SWAT.
After retiring in 1999, he has shared his proficiency by training SWAT teams across the country on terrorist response, weapons of mass destruction and gun handling. One job sent him as far away as Bulgaria where he instructed its police department in tactics, including hostage rescue.
“They treated us like rock stars,” he said. “They put us on television the second day we were there.” The show’s host (comparable to Leno) challenged Pavlischak to teach him how to improve his shooting skills. As the host took a pose – feet apart, arms locked and hands holding the gun – Pavlischak poked him in the chest, and he toppled backward over the desk. “I had to show him that his stance was all wrong.”
Since “The Law,” he has carved many more award-winning pieces. A hunter his whole life, he specializes in wildlife. As a boy, he spent summers at a horse ranch in Freeman.
Raised in the Spokane Valley, he attended school in the West Valley school district. His mother was artistic, and one of his brothers painted, but that was the extent of Pavlischak’s exposure.
“I wouldn’t say that I do artwork,” he said, “I’m a hobbyist.”
Vic Davis, manager of Spokane Art Supply Too in the Valley, disagrees. “He’s gifted. His work is full of movement.” Pavlischak has shown his work at the Everett Art Gallery and has sold many of his carvings by word of mouth. He has carved a Madonna for St. Mary’s Church’s annual auction, and fellow officers have bought much of his work. He also did a chain saw carving of a 9-foot tall grizzly bear, which is in the front yard of a home on North Farr Road. Currently, he is carving a 3-foot tall chunk of black walnut into an eagle.
He does his pieces freehand, almost instinctually. His life experiences and attention to detail help both artistically and professionally. “Being artistic enables me to pass on my gifts to others by inspiration.”