Art of Chainsaw Carving, 2nd Edn

(Paperback)

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Excitement, danger, and beauty are just three of the essential elements of chainsaw carving. This creative woodcarving method is capturing the attention of a growing number of artists and enthusiasts. International chainsaw competitions and performances, attended by large crowds, are helping to promote chainsaw carving as a highly respected art form that resides in a class by itself.

Award-winning chainsaw sculptor Jessie Groeschen takes an insiders look at the people whose talents, styles, and personalities make chainsaw carving so fascinating. With new artist profiles and colorful new photographs, this is the story of the fearless men and women who are carving out a contemporary art form for all to enjoy.

Art of Chainsaw Carving, Second Edition presents the diversity and achievements of this stylish art, from its early pioneers to today's innovative urban wood recovery projects. Readers will also find step-by-step instructions on how to carve a beautiful Sun, Moon, Bear Chair. Demonstrated by the author, this project reveals the fascinating process of using a chainsaw to unlock the raw and natural beauty of wood.

Reviews

"A wonderful glimpse into a specialized form of woodworking" --Barb Siddiqui, WoodCentral "Inspirational and eye-opening with regard to the numerous ways of making art with a chainsaw" --Karen Tiede Studio "If you have ever doubted that Chainsaw Carving is a legitimate art form, this book is sure to convince you otherwise" --The Australian Woodworker

Author Bio

Grace, beauty and humor inspire woodcarver Jessie Groeschen. Jessie infuses soul into wood as she carves imaginative and unusual forms with her chainsaw. She describes her work as "a dance - just me and the log and the chainsaw, right here, right now." Jessie Groeschen's home is the Pacific Northwest where she works with western red cedar. She describes this wood as "spirited - soft and a pleasure to work". In the redwood forests of Northern California she finds inspiration for her carvings. She calls it "her duty" to take a fallen log, and old stump, or a root end and breathe new life into it - to recycle it into something new. Jessie Groeschen is the creator of The Cutting Edge newsletter for the Cascade Chainsaw Sculptors Guild. Jessie has written articles for Chip Chats and Woodcarving UK. Jessie is a chainsaw competitor, taking first place with her Lotus Flower with Leaf in the premier Women in Art Chainsaw Series. She was the first foreigner to compete at the Japanese Chainsaw Carving Championships where she carved, Three Stages of the Rose. At the English Open Chainsaw Carving Competition in 2004, Jessie carved Tree of Life, a piece inspired by Celtic tree spirits that featured 100 blossoms.