François Pernet, Carpenter and Sculptor

Overview

Like his grandfather and his father before him, François Pernet is a mountain peasant and works with wood. He trained as a carpenter and cabinet maker and owns the last water-powered sawmill still operating in French-speaking Switzerland. He and his wife have five children, two of their own, and three nephews adopted after the death of their parents in a car accident. So, to earn a living, he makes and carves cupboards and turns bannisters. In addition to his work, Pernet has become a sculptor as well. His bas-relief carvings, which have decorated local cafés, show various aspects of mountain life, including hunters, poachers, chamois and other animals.