The Art of Chainsaw Carving
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A Brief History of Chainsaw Carving
The oldest chainsaw artist records go back to the 1950s, which include artists Ray Murphy and Ken Kaiser. In 1952 Ray Murphy used his father's chainsaw to carve his name into a piece of wood. In 1961 Ken Kaiser created 50 carvings for the Trees of Mystery. In the 1980s the art form really began to grow with Art Moe getting much exposure for the craft at the Lumberjack World Championships held in Hayward, Wisconsin. This event was broadcast nationally. The first Chainsaw Carving World Championships was held in 1987 and won by then 24- year-old Barre Pinske. The chainsaw “blades” are technically known as “guide bars”. For chainsaw carving these bars have very small noses (typically around 25 mm diameter). This enables the artist to create detail in the carving that would be impossible with a standard guide bar. Although the medium of choice of every artist varies, the results are universal. A finished piece of art is admired and accentuates our surroundings. Already the art of wooden animal sculptures are associated basically with rustic décor, its popularity is rapidly crossing boundaries. Wooden animal sculptures can now be found in homes, offices and museums all over the country. Chainsaw Carving is considered to be one of the most visually stunning and exciting art forms to date. You can find activities related to wood at logging competitions, Chainsaw Carving festivals, lumberjack, and art events. The art form is distributed world wide with more and more chainsaw carvers sharing their talents by creating hand crafted wooden sculptures using chainsaws. This information is referenced from I saw it in Minnesota |
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