Adrian Bois is Professional Chainsaw carver from Villa Elisa, Entre Rios, Argentina. He studied electronics, engineering, administration, and international trade at different universities as he searched for the right direction. During this time, he was introduced to carving by making wooden toys, which lead him to meeting chainsaw carving colleagues. He had found his calling. Today, he creates custom chainsaw art art for companies, public entities, and individuals. He also conducts wood carving demonstrations and workshops. He also participates in chainsaw carving events and tours around the world. On his 2023 carving tour he will visit several locations in Argentina, Germany, and the USA.
Alex was born and raised in a small village in the Eastern European country of Moldova. He was an artist from an early age, starting with a love of drawing cartoon characters. In latter years he expanded into oil painting on canvas. In 2007, he moved his family to the United States in search of a better life. They settled in Renton, Washington.
“in the summer of 2009, I went to a wood carving show in Ocean Shores and fell in love with what I saw. I went home and tried to do some wood carvings myself, and I thought they turned out very good. Since then, I have been carving sculptures out of lumber, using the chainsaw”, he said. Alex went on to win second place in the Semipro division in Ocean Shores; First place for the Most money maker; and first place for the Quick Carve. In 2015, Alexandru won second place for carvings bringing in the most money at the carving festival in Arlington, Washington. He has participated in many street fairs, wood carving shows, and competitions.
In December, 2016, Alex and business partner Don Benson opened a shop in McKenna, WA east of Yelm, to carve and sell their art. They are slowly turning it into a carving studio.
Raised on a farm in Ohio, Anthony builds luxury homes for a living. He moved to Hoquiam, Washington where he came across a large piece of driftwood and felt the urge to carve it into a wolf. He bought a chainsaw and ….BOOM! He found his passion and has been chainsaw carving ever since. His infectious enthusiasm graces homes and businesses all over Washington and throughout the United States. He is the proud owner of Native Beach Accessories on Ocean Beach Road in Hoquiam, where his incredible talent is showcased.
Anthony was severely injured in July, 2022 while disposing of fireworks. He lost most of his left thumb and some of his index and middle finger and was airlifted to Harborview hospital in Seattle for surgery. Not even a full year later he has overcome and is back to chainsaw carving. Anthony says, “You need three things to be an artist: gift, ambition, and desire.” Anthony, you are an inspiration to all of us!
Bob started carving in the fall of 1998 after seeing a local carver at the fair. He worked at Boeing and carved on the side until he was laid off in 2000, which prompted his move into full-time carving. He is now the owner of Bear Necessities Sculpture, LLC where he keeps busy filling orders for both private and corporate customers. King entered his first competition after carving only three bears and has been competing ever since. Bob was one of the original members of the Echo-USA Carving Team; having been asked to join in 2005. King is the main carver for Burton Snowboards, handling there custom jumps for snowboard runs. He has traveled to Daytona for Bike Week, carved at the Pocono 500 in Pennsylvania, Participated in Harley Davidson’s 105th anniversary celebration in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and worked in conjunction with Lucas Films and Disney.
In 2010, Bob was honored with a star in the Carvers Walk of Fame in Mulda, Germany for winning more competitions then anyone in the world! Bob was honored with a fourth-place award for Best Overall Carver in the 2014 Loggerodeo™ carving competition. His winning carving was then purchased by Loggerodeo™ and donated as a memorial to the town of Oso WA. for the mudslide. With the help of Patricia Dwelley of Reedsport, King created the Oregon Divisional Chainsaw Sculpture Championships in 2000. he has been invited to represent the United States in competitions in Germany, England, Scotland, Denmark, Holland, and Canada. He lives in Edgewood, Washington and carves all around the United States while not at home or traveling abroad. You can follow his travels on both his Website and Facebook page. More or less a self-taught carve, Bob continues to grow in this art from by learing from other artists and pushing himself to try new things. Bob carves anything form realistic wildlife sculptures to scenes form life as he see them. Every year brings new adventures in wood sculpture and connecting with friends and family along the way.
Chris Foltz grew up in Hagerstown, Maryland but now lives in North Bend, Oregon with his wife and four sons. In the 2014 Chainsaw Carving Championships he was honored with the People’s Choice and Best overall Carver award. He is a competitive wood and ice power sculptor and a Chef Instructor at OCCI.
Foltz began working at the age of 14 in butcher shops cleaning the kill floors. He started his first kitchen position at the age of 15 Foltz paid his own way through post-secondary, graduation with dual degrees in baking and cooking from Baltimore International Culinary college.
Chris started out making ice sculptures through his work as s chef about 14 years ago. In April, 2005 Chris took three days of formal ice sculpting instruction form Mike Vosburg in Richmond, VA. Three months later he entered his first competition, the Oregon Divisional Chainsaw Sculpting in Reedsport OR. Where he won “Rookie” of the year. Now Chris is the only professional sculptor that is competing in both wood and ice at a world-class level, averaging twelve competitions a year and regularly placing in the top ranks. He has also been influenced by iconic individuals including Bob and Cindy King who were the first and most important to influence Chris as a sculptor.
Foltz is best known for designs of original characters, comic book heroes, large animals of imagination, re-creations of strange animals and sculptures of children. Chris says “ We always completely enjoy our time is Sedro-Woolley! My family has been lucky enough to be part of the show for years. The best artists and great organization for the show. The town is fantastic as well.”
Born in Moldova, Constantin is now a custom wood carver from Sacramento, California. Constantin won first place in the semi-pro division of the 19th annual Oregon Divisional Chainsaw Carving Championship.
Constantin says, “I had a passion for the arts since I was a young child, so I attended an art school in my home country. My second passion has always been animals and after I moved to the U.S., I was able to combine these two passions into wood carving. My good friend Alexandru Pricob mentored me and I have been carving for several years now. I am now happy to be able to provide carving lessons through my business. As a full-time pro-carver I work in flat wood and 3D, I also try to combine sculptures and painting as much as possible. I like to represent nature and its beauty, animals, and moments from their daily life: movement, moods, and there ordinary behaviors. Carving inspires me to want more from life; help me express my feelings. I carve wood and wood carves me into a better person. I look forward to carving new works full of inspiration at this year’s championships. I am excited to participate!”
A resident of Bonney Lake, Washington; Jacob Lucas has been carving since 2004. Throughout the years he has worked in many mediums such as drawing, clay sculpture, digital design, glass blowing, and chainsaw art.
Carving became a dream of Jacob’s as a child when his grandmother bought some cute carved bears at the local fair. After an initial situation with a stolen saw he came back to carving 11 years later when his grandmother offered to buy him a new one. He was hooked right away. A few years in, Jacob decided to try competitive carving; he entered the Reedsport Divisional in Oregon, taking second place in the semi-pro category. He returned the next year and entered as a professional, taking eighth place among 30 of the best carvers in the world. In 2015, Lucas was invited by Bob King to go to Mulda, Germany as his partner to represent the U.S.A. in the Huskycup Worldcup Championship Invitational chainsaw carving against teams from five other countries and they took second place. Jacob went on to win first place and People’s Choice in Reedsport in 2022, the biggest competition on the West Coast.
Lucas has been featured in many carving articles. He has spent the last 10 summers sculpting trees for the City of Bridgeport next to the Chief Joseph Dam in Eastern Washington, 30 miles south of Omak. He now has 30 sculptures in the town. Jacob also has a few sculptures on display in the City of Chelan and has carved a 10-foot-tall nutcracker for the City of Leavenworth that is located in the center of town across form the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum.
Jacob carves full time and takes custom orders. He said “I love to make people smile with my art”.
Based out of Lakeport, California Jarrod has been carving since 2018. Flowers grew up in Arkansas, but moved to California where he luckily decided to stop at Mark Colp’s shop looking for mill scraps for a garden box. The rest is history. Jarrod says “Mark became my mentor and carving is my meditation. This will be my fourth-year carving and my favorite themes to carve are nautical and wildlife, however, the ultimate goal with any creation is to make it beautiful and lively.” Last year he competed in Yreka, CA Reedsport, OR Ocean Shores, WA and Sedro-Woolley, WA. Flowers also stated “Sedro was an awesome experience last year and I am looking forward to returning to this highlighted event!”
Mark Colp was born in Alberta, Canada and is proud to make chainsaw wood sculpting his life. He became a professional chainsaw sculptor right out of high school and has over 40 years’ experience in the business. Mark has a long list of accomplishments and is an award-winning wood sculptor with a shop in Lakeport, California. His many awards include winning the chainsaw carving invitational grand championship in New Mexico in 2013; winning the Redwood Regional in Ukiah, California in 2014; and first place at Reedsport Oregon 2015 Albuquerque Fiesta Cup.
Mark was featured on seven out of 10 episodes of the reality show “Saw Dogs” that aired in Canada, the USA, Latin America, and Mexico. He also worked on a TV reality series for Carver Kings that began airing in 2015. Mark’s satisfaction in carving comes from the happiness that he is able to bring his customers through his art. His favorite sculptures are nautical themes and marine animals. Said Mark, “It’s my passion to create beautiful sculptures from wood that everyone enjoys. I love competing with some of my best buds and watching their awesome ability to create.”
Matt had the fortune of growing up just down the road from Mark and Colby Herrington where he was inspired by their work. Now 29, Matt has been carving since he was 15 out of Carbonado, Washington. He has competed and placed in shows since 2013. Matt loves to carve for a hobby while owning and operating his own tree service business. His favorite thing to carve is aquatic animals. After a couple years off, Matt began competing again in 2022 and looks forward to continuing his creativity and sharing it with his family. Pictured here is Matt teaching his 8-year-old step daughter how to carve. She even sold a couple trees at a show last year.
Mike Ayers can carve just about anything with a chainsaw. His journey started when his uncle asked if Mike could carve a bear. He did, but it took him two days, and he wasn’t happy with the results. Nevertheless, Mike’s neighbor bought it, so Mike kept carving. Today, with several years of chainsaw carving behind him, he holds the world record for most bears in an hour at thirty-eight.
At his Mountain Mike’s Whetstone Woodworks in Maggie Valley, large tree trunks lie in wait for their transformation at the hands of Mike’s chainsaw and imagination. As a competition carver, Mike has traveled to events all over the world. His work portrays lifelike sculptures carved from wood mostly sourced from the surrounding counties. He generally carves on-site, but he also carves standing trees on-location.
Visitors to Mountain Mike’s Whetstone Woodworks will see carvings of all kinds. Many are lifelike portrayals of the animals found in the western North Carolina mountains. But Mike also carves super heroes, recognizable figures from history, and anything that a customer wants or that he can dream up. Visitors can also watch, from a safe distance, as Mike carves his creations on-site.
Nick Bielby has been carving for six years and 2023 will be his fourth year at the Sedro-Woolley chainsaw carving championships. Nick has carved at several other competitions on the West Coast. In 2019 he placed first in the semi-pro division in Reedsport, which got him invited to Sedro-Woolley. Nick now has his own carving store in Port Angeles where his works are on display. Said Bielby, “I love to carve mostly wildlife and also enjoy competing in the carving world. I look forward to where carving will take me. Some people see a log laying on the ground. I see a bear or dragon. I’ve discovered that a chainsaw can work much like a paintbrush, and wood is canvas.”
Growing up in Reedsport, Oregon, Ryan displayed artistic abilities. He was introduced to chainsaw carving just shortly after turning 16 and became hooked on the art. Today he is a pro chainsaw sculptor, pumpkin sculptor, a member of the Makita carving team USA, and the Food Network’s Season 2 Outrageous Pumpkins champion. Ryan started his chainsaw carving career in June of 2005 after being apprenticed by Tracie Brittenfield of Packwood, Washington. After graduating from Reedsport High School in 2007, Ryan began carving full time and attending more competitions. Ryan worked under Mark Colp during the winters of 2007 through 2011 learning more of the trade, which was hugely beneficial to Ryan’s sculpting career.
Ryan began as one of the youngest amongst his competitors, quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. During his pro career, Ryan has earned many awards. Some of his most recent include 1st place and the People’s Choice award at the 2021 Sedro-Woolley Chainsaw Carving Championships. In 2021 he also earned 1st place, People’s Choice, and Carver’s Choice awards at the Reedsport Chainsaw Carving Championships. In 2021, he was named champion of the Food Network’s “Outrageous Pumpkins” carving competition. He has competed in many international events including the English Open where he took second place.
Anderson is the performing artist for Sculptures in Motion and has been sculpting professionally since 2006. He was a highlighted carver on the reality show “Saw-Dogs.” In 2009 at the age of just 20, Ryan was invited to represent top of the line power equipment manufacturer Husqvarna. To this day Ryan creates “one-of-a-kind experiences” with inspiring sculptures using Husqvarna’s power tools.
Anderson enjoys a good challenge and using his imagination to come up with some very unique pieces of art. He also enjoys inspiring his fellow artists with his skills and techniques to help others learn the craft. Ryan credits his success to the selfless dedication of his family, friends, and many of his fellow carvers that were willing to inspire him and help guide him along the way.
Steve Backus is a native of the great Pacific Northwest, born in Spokane, Washington and raised mostly on the Olympic Peninsula and southeast Alaska. Steve is a second-generation chainsaw carver to his mother, Judy McVay, which means that he has been in and around the logging culture that dominated the Pacific Northwest his whole life. Chainsaws and trees were around in a big way.
Steve has been carving in chainsaw carving competitions since the very first one in 1981 at the Puyallup Fairgrounds in Washington State. With perseverance and a steadfast determination, he has gone on to being beat in more chainsaw carving contests than any other carver on Earth! As he traveled this path and learned much, he started to get involved in the organizer end of carving competitions to help develop what have become some of the standard guidelines in use in many chainsaw carving competitions to this day
Steve has participated as a pro carver at most of the Sedro-Woolley Carving Championships over the years. He reflects on what a nice community Sedro-Woolley is and how the 4th of July celebrations are a fine example of small-town America with a well-educated chainsaw carving buying public. He states, “It would be fair to say that Sedro-Woolley is the chainsaw carving capitol of Washington State!”
Steve is a published author with his first book called “You’ve Got to Be Shitting Me” all about growing up in the Tramp Logger culture and being raised as a chainsaw carver cub. You can check out this fine piece of literature on Amazon.
Tomas Vrba is an award-winning chainsaw sculptor and metal artist. Tomas combines the classical fine arts training he received in his native country of Slovakia with the raw power of modern tools, like the chainsaw, to create a unique style of sculpture. At his studio in Bellingham, Washington, Tomas creates commissioned sculptures in metal and wood, including chainsaw carvings and tree stump art, for display in private residences and public works.
Growing up in Slovakia before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Tomas never imagined he’d get the chance to be a working artist, let alone an artist making a name for himself in America. In the early 1990’s, Tomas earned a spot in an art school apprenticeship program where he spent the next four years training in classical wood carving. He went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Sculpture Restoration from VSVU Bratislava, one of Europe’s premier fine arts institutions.
After college, Tomas spent a number of years as a fine art restorer in Vienna, preserving some of the world’s finest works of art. But despite his success, he dreamed of creating his own sculptures. While on vacation in Berlin, Tomas met Allison, who was visiting from the Seattle area, where she was born and raised. In 2006, Tomas and Allison married and returned to the Pacific Northwest, where they opened Tomas Vrba Studio.
Wade Lapp has been a professional multimedia artist since 2012. He carves in multiple mediums, including wood, pumpkins, and ice, and sculpts in sand and clay. Lapp is from Kelso, Washington. He started competing in chainsaw carving at the Oregon Divisional Chainsaw Championship as a semi-pro and placed 3rd. Soon after, he competed in the Sedro-Woolley Loggerodeo and placed 5th in 2022. He also earned 2nd place at the World Ice Art Championship Multiblock in Fairbanks, Alaska in 2021 and won People’s Choice in Multiblock in 2022. He took 1st place at Texas Sandfest in Port Aransas in the semi-pro division in 2021 and 2022. He moved up to Masters in 2023 and won People’s Choice. Lapp likes to carve mythical/whimsical creatures, faces, wildlife and sea creatures. He will have many wood sculptures displayed at Spirit of Halloweentown in 2023, a 6-week event that takes place in Saint Helens, Oregon in September and October. His two walk-through attractions/exhibits are called Whispers in the Woods, which showcases a lot of his tree spirits carvings and the Pumpkins and Sasquatch Walk, which features his wood carved pumpkins with faces and sasquatches, giant snails, mushrooms, and other creatures in the woods. Wade is also looking forward to the Sedro-Woolley Carving Championships, “I feel excited about participating at the Loggerodeo event. It’s a great competition from world renowned carvers. It’s an honor to be part of this event.”