Artist present gift to Zoar
New Philadelphia resident Steve Plaso presented a section of the Tree of Life to Tammi Shrum, site director for Historic Zoar Village.
Steve Plaso does not seek the spotlight, but occasionally, someone does something so nice, so interesting, and so thoughtful, attention simply must be paid.
Such is the case with Plaso of New Philadelphia, who recently presented the Zoar Community Association with a preserved section from the large Douglas Fir that had been the centerpiece of the Zoar Garden for 94 years. Also referred to as the Tree of Everlasting Life, the stately old pine destroyed by a heavy spring storm in March of this year.
Plaso and his wife Nancy were married under the tree Aug. 21, 1992, so it naturally held a special place in their hearts. “When I saw that the tree had come down, it devastated me,” said Plaso. “I thought, ‘Man, what a shame,’ considering how many couples like us have stood in front of that tree. So I wanted to do something to preserve it.”
Originally from Weirton, West Virginia, it was a job at the Geib Funeral Home that brought him to New Philadelphia in January of 1994. Plaso spent 16 years there as an embalmer and funeral director, which he credits for his dedication to doing things right.
“I was responsible for the last image somebody’s going to have of their loved one,” said Plaso.
The process
Plaso was referred to Jon Elsasser, president of the Zoar Community Association, by Ethan Zucal at the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, based on a table Plaso had recently crafted for Craig Butler, the executive director of MWCD.
The table was made from a cross-section of wood dated back to 1670. “This thing was held together by a piece of plywood and piano string on the back,” said Plaso. “When Craig showed me the piece, I had never preserved a piece of wood before, but he gave me the confidence that I could do it.”
Plaso contacted Elsasser in June to see if he could have a section of wood to preserve. “Jon was kind enough to give me two piece, in case something happened with one of them,” said Plaso.
Plaso met Elsasser at the Zoar Garden, entering through the gate near the Garden House. “When he closed the gate, the first thing I noticed was a little sign on the gate that said ‘It all began in a garden,’” said Plaso. “And I thought that was perfect.”
To create the piece, Plaso used woodburning, shading, and polished layers of epoxy. He burned an image of the tree into the center of the wood, and surrounded it with verse taken from a handout used at his wedding.
While he had been burning wood for many years, Plaso was a bit concerned, because he’d never done a burning on pine, which is soft. “The wood was still a little sappy, so I found myself having to clean the wood burning tip every four to five letters,” he said. “And I can’t tell you how many times my planer got jammed up with sap.”
Nevertheless, Plaso persevered, dating the memento Aug. 21, 2023, the day he planned to present the gift to the ZCA, which is also his wedding anniversary. “I got held up, though, because I had to wait for a cool morning to start pouring the epoxy,” he said.
Before the epoxy came four days of shading to get the color he wanted. “I thought the wood still looked too pale,” he said. After adding layers of epoxy and allowing them to cure, Plaso polished the surface to a glorious shine.
On Aug. 28, Plaso presented his work to Elsasser and Tammi Shrum, site director for Historic Zoar Village. “Everybody seemed to be happy with it,” Plaso said, which is probably a bit of an understatement.”
“Steve asked me if he could make something for us from the remains of the tree,” said Elsasser. “What he produced is very beautiful, and is, of course, meaningful to both him personally and to us.”
In addition to woodworking, Plaso enjoys winemaking, road trips with his wife on his Indian motorcycle and collecting historical memorabilia from the 19th century New Philadelphia Brewing Company.
Recently, he has taken on another hobby. “I just taught myself how to carve last year—not very well, but it keeps me occupied.”
Ever humble, Plaso will tell you he’s not an artist. Yet he certainly possesses an artist’s penchant for self-criticism.
“I’m still not happy with the drawing of the tree,” he said. “But it has been a labor of love and a tremendous honor for me to do this.”