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Working wood into art
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
WIND RIDGE - Every evening at the Jacktown Fair, the growl of chain saws lets the crowds know that two artists are hard at work in their designated spot on that last terrace before the hill drops down to the stock barns.
They work in a small, netted area, ankle deep in sawdust and cutaway chunks of wood. A stack of big logs, two homemade tables and an array of Stihl saws are the tools they use - goggles, earplugs, gloves and protective leggings are their armor. People stop to watch, the air fills with sawdust and art is made - Paul Bunyan style.
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There will be one last demonstration so that fairgoers can meet the artists who made these hand-cut additions to yard, porch or den. Tonight, these two artists with chain saws will be hard to miss.
With deft cuts, Stephen "Bub" Tasker of Moundsville, W.Va., can turn a lump of wood into a log cabin, complete with a porch and two pine trees in the front yard.
With more of the same deft cuts and some wedging, fellow artist Jeff Roscoe of Flushing, Ohio, can get two bears to hold a bench and cause antlers to grow on the head of a wide-eyed moose.
These two crafty cutters share an enthusiasm for their art and enjoy being the center of attention at festivals, fairs and stores like Cabela's, from summertime until Christmas.
And they don't mind telling those who watch what got them involved in the noisy business of chain saw sculpturing in the first place.
"My dad said, 'Go ahead and show him how.'" Tasker remembers the day his father allowed him to be an artist's apprentice. He was a sturdy 10 year old, pulled from the audience by a veteran cutter at Ohio's annual Paul Bunyan Festival. Now age 16, he has six years of cutting under his belt and room to reminisce.
"He started showing me a few things and I learned how to make a cactus. I still have the first one I ever made. Now I cut at festivals, and I cut at home, too. I open up the garage door and start working. People stop and buy."
Hip replacement surgery at age 39 sent Roscoe, a Stihl equipment salesman, searching for a hobby to occupy his time. He found the inspiration he needed in a gift.
"My friend carved me an eagle and I looked at it to see how the cuts were made. Another friend gave me a used carving bar and I started carving. That was nine years ago."
Bars, in chain saw parlance, are the metal sticking out the business end of a saw that the chain rides on. "I have bars with the tip the size of a dime," Roscoe said.
Dime-sized tips make for some intricate detail, but the art of cutting calls for tips in a variety of widths, just like artist brushes.
"We bring four or five saws apiece," Roscoe said. "For the finer work, you can customize the bar and you want to use saws that are three horsepower and down. My biggest saws are 5 horsepower and more. We cut a lot of different sizes."
As fair week wound down, the pile of logs was almost gone.
"Over the years, I've gotten faster," Roscoe admitted, wiping sawdust from his face and reaching for a cold bottle of water between carving sets. The crowd lingered, admiring the steadily growing collection of woody objects d'art surrounding the work area. Soon he would be doing another piece, and then another. And in each piece, another unique aspect of knot or grain pattern would reveal itself, adding that touch of natural beauty.
Roscoe flipped open his cell phone to show a veritable gallery of finished pieces that he has done on commission for customers.
"This one here of the man in the robe is close to life-size and stands in a lady's garden. She gave me a picture to work from. I can do almost anything from a photograph. The biggest piece I've made so far is a 7-foot bear for someone's yard," Roscoe said.
The sculpture glowing on the tiny screen was a garden saint, complete with birds sitting on each shoulder and a finely rendered bearded face eyes downcast. The lines were elegant, the detail well crafted.
Making sculpture with a chain saw is indeed an art.
