Wood sculptor Rob Rivera creates handcrafted flag for Barstow Fire Department.

For wood sculptor Rob Rivera, gifting a handcrafted patriotic flag to the Barstow Fire Department was a token of his appreciation for the first responders who serve and protect the community.

Every one of the 50-year-old Apple Valley man's creations is unique and “takes on a life of its own” as his inspiration, creativity and love are infused into each piece. Made of California redwood, the black and white American flag includes a red stripe, the Barstow Fire District logo and a fire ax, Rivera said.

The Barstow Fire flag came from gratitude to God for allowing him to live after a near-death experience set him on the path toward his woodworking career, he said.

“I was gone for over two minutes,” he said. “After that moment, my entire life changed.”

Part of that life change was being placed on disability, and finding woodworking as a hobby, which prevented him from sliding into a pit of depression, Rivera said. He now spends nearly every day in his workshop transferring his inspiration into handcrafted works of art.

‘Like a Phoenix rising’

Rivera and his wife, Acacia, traveled to Barstow on Thursday to present his “top secret, handcrafted gift" to Fire Chief Nick DiNapoli and firefighters. Rivera was a volunteer fire explorer for the district in the early 1990s.

“I hope the flag inspires Chief DiNapoli, his team and everyone who sees it,” Rivera said.

Rivera unveiled his flag during a ceremony at Barstow Fire headquarters, which was also attended by Fire Captain Travis Espinoza, fellow firefighters, Mayor Paul Courtney, Barstow City Council and others.

“I created the Barstow Fire flag out of natural redwood, which was cleared in the forest to prevent other trees from burning in case of a fire,” Rivera said. “I’m always inspired to create something good out of the deadfall, almost like a Phoenix rising.”

Retired firefighter Thomas Stickely, of Arizona, was given a sneak peak of Rivera’s flag online and thought it was an amazing piece of work.

“Rob is so talented and he has a heart of gold,” Stickely said. “I know that Rob wanted to keep it a secret, so I suggested that he remove it from social media before word spread to Barstow Fire.”

‘Neurological glitches’

Rivera’s path to his near-death experience and life change began in 2015 when he collapsed and was injured while working at a desk job.

His medical emergency kick started a three-year journey, which included “neurological glitches,” seizures, and being diagnosed with sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, and other health maladies, Rivera said.

“One day, I was at home when I started heading to the bathroom and dropped dead,” Rivera said. “I can still hear the faint screams of my wife and two sons before I was completely out.”

Arriving paramedics revived Rivera and rushed him to a local hospital for treatment and evaluation.

“After years of trying to figure out what was wrong with me, I was told there was a disruption on the electrical highway of my brain,” Rivera said. “My body seemed like it was shutting down and I had limited use of my extremities.”

Afraid to go into public with his new physical condition, Rivera stayed at home. He eventually suffered a bout of depression, he said.

From physical therapy to passion

While attending physical therapy, Rivera was told he could use power tools to help in his recovery and dexterity.

“That’s when my wife bought me a Dremel rotary tool,” he said.

It wasn’t too long before Rivera began studying woodworking and wood design.

“A friend of my wife asked me to make a wavy flag, but I had no clue how to do that,” Rivera said. “The planks sat in my garage for months until I was able to design something I could be proud of. From there, I have continued to evolve.”

Rivera admitted that after two years, his woodworking as physical therapy turned into a passion, with people asking him to create projects.

“I wasn’t too confident, so I told them that if they pay for the cost of materials, I would do it for free,” Rivera said. “Pretty soon, I was overwhelmed with work.”

Demand for Rivera’s work led him to start a business, Hard Krafted Designz.

“After he got the Dremel, I had no expectation of where it would go from there, I just wanted to help my husband to heal and get out of a negative place,” Acacia said. “It started slow with making a few Christmas designs and it evolved from there.”

A crafted journey

Rivera said before he became ill, woodworking, using a spray painter and sculpting were foreign to him.

“My entire journey was crafted by God, who rescued me and set my life on a new course after I collapsed,” Rivera said. “You need to realize that I can’t even draw a straight line and the only woodworking I knew was from a class I took in junior high in the 80s."

Through his newly found passion, Rivera met various artists, including the sons of the late Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, a cartoonist, illustrator, pinstriper and custom car designer who created the hot-rod icon Rat Fink and other characters.

Roth was a key figure in Southern California's Kustom Kulture and hot rod movement of the late 1950s and 1960s.

“Woodworking is part of my new journey and so far it’s taken me to some awesome places,” Rivera said. “I don’t know where I’m going next, but I trust God to get me there.”

To view more of Rivera’s artwork, visit instagram.com/hardkrafteddesignzllc.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Wood sculptor Rob Rivera creates flag for Barstow Fire Department.