Chainsaw Carving is a Chip Off the Old Block

Chainsaw carving combines the ancient art of carving with the modern technology of the chainsaw, commonly used for tree felling. The artist uses the chainsaw to carve a wooden trunk or block, in a performance that is fascinating to watch.


As with most art forms, chainsaw carving has been used to create fan art of popular media characters from films and games. Most of these character statues are carved from several pieces of wood that are fitted together during the carving process.


Carving of Big Daddy from Bioshock
A chainsaw artist, Jason, creates a chainsaw carving of a Big Daddy from the game, Bioshock. The video below shows the process from selecting wood to completing the tiniest detail.

Above: A video of the chainsaw carving process, which shows a chainsaw artist called Jason carving a Bog Daddy character from the popular game, Bioshock.

Above: The finished sculpture. The large statue is highly detailed and beautifully finished.

Chainsawed Characters from Star Wars

George Lucas's famous movies, Star Wars, have inspired artists to create fan art of the movies' characters. Chainsaw carving lends itself particularly well to woolly and furry characters such as Chewbacca and the Ewoks.

Above: Chewbacca, with Jar Jar Binks. These chainsaw carvings were displayed at an extreme sports event. Apparently the artist won the audience's heart when he cut Jar Jar Binks' head off with a chainsaw.

Above: The Ewoks, a furry alien race from the Star Wars films. The artist has painted the wood to give the statues more character.

Lord of the Rings Characters in Chainsaw Art

JRR Tolkien's famous fantasy novel, The Lord of the Rings, has a cast of fascinating and unique characters.  A favorite character from the books and films is Gandalf the wizard, with his long beard and flowing robes, this staff-carrying warrior wizard is highly recognizable, even from afar.

Above: A flat panel chainsaw carving of Gandalf the Grey, from The Lord of the Rings. 

Above: A B-grade depiction of Gollum, mutated hobbit who lives underground and speaks in sibilant riddles.

Above: An ent, a tree character, carved into the trunk of a living tree. Ents can move, talk and have a culture of their own.

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Hobo Nickels are the Currency of Art

A hobo nickel is a small denomination coin that has been sculpted in an artistic manner. Usually, the artwork is a portrait carved into the surface of the coin, to replace the original coin artwork.


Why Carve Nickels?

Although a number of coins are used, the American nickel is a favorite among coin carvers, because it is soft and easy to carve. The art form began, as many art styles do, as a means of entertainment, and was popular among homeless people (hobos) and soldiers, as a way to pass the time. Softer coin sculptures can be created with the tip of a knife, and the medium and tools carried easily in a pocket, making it an ideal art form for those on the move.
Most hobo nickel coin carvings replace the original portrait on the coin with a portrait of the artist's own creation.

 

 

Top left: a realistic carving of a skull replaces the original head on the coin. 

Top right: A hobo nickel artists' distinctive style shows through the coin carving design.

Bottom left: A humorously grinning parody of Death, wearing a crown and smoking a cigar.

Bottom right: A viking portrait decorates the coin in place of the original design.

Love Tokens or Art Works?

The earliest recorded Hobo nickels are from the 18th century, and the majority of coin carvings recovered from this period are love tokens. These would most often be created by machining a coin smooth and then carving the lovers' initials or a design into the face of the coin.

 

Top: Love token hobo nickels were often crafted to be worn on a necklace.

Bottom: This love coin has the lovers' initials and the date, surrounded by artistic carvings.

Money as Art

Although it is not illegal to deface coins in the name of art, it is illegal to alter money with the intention of cheating another person. As long as hobo nickels are sold as an art work, and not returned into circulation, most authorities will turn a blind eye to this art form.

   

Above: Animals such as lions, owls and raccoon have been used as subject matter for the coin art carvings. 

Bottom right: A beautiful woman is carved into this coin, beside the word, "liberty". Although it is not clear, this could be the artist's personal rendition of the political ideal personified in the Statue of Liberty.

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The Cheesiest Thing You'll See Today

Artists and sculptors have found a new use for cheese – cheese sculpting. Cheese is an easy material to sculpt in, as it is firm and holds its shape well. 

The art of cheese sculpting is commonly used as a promotional display, for events, sports teams and famous landmarks. Cheez-it, an American brand of crackers, is one company that has produced a number of cheese carving displays to promote their products. The Cheez-it carvings mostly represent famous landmarks, US presidents and other scenes and characters from American history.

 

 

To prevent the dairy-based carving from drying out, cheese carvers spray cooking oil on the finished artwork to preserve the cheese. Using cooking oil has the added benefit of giving the sculpture a glossy shine. By using pasteurized cheese, sculptors can be assured that their artworks won’t melt. However, cheese sculptures need to be kept fairly cool, because if they’re left for too long in the blazing hot sun, they will eventually begin to fall apart.

 

 

 

 

The color and texture of cheese sculptures, along with the tantalizingly cheesy smell, make cheese art pieces a popular attraction when displayed in a store front or on a buffet table. The size of cheese sculptures are limited only by the size of the blocks of cheese that are available. Even so, some cheese sculptures stand in excess of 10ft, an impressive height for a food carving.

 

 

 

Edible cheese sculptures can be a unique gift, or they can be used as a promotional item. They can also have personalized messages carved into the sculpture as a center piece for a celebratory dinner such as on Christmas or a birthday. Because the sculpture is edible, the cheese can be cut up and served with crackers, dips and preserves.

 

 

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