Driving home I couldn't stop shaking the thought that I believed that I "stumbled" into my calling. I never met my grandfather on my moms side but I know he was a wood worker. Not in the artistic sense but, he was an amazing carpenter and built houses. I felt a feeling of gratitude, like, in a way, I was able to finally meet him by being able to work with wood, too. Being exposed to all of this has opened up a new world in my mind with renewed appreciation for trees and nature. Each tree took so many years to grow and has its own unique one-of-a-kind markings on the inside.
No piece can ever be the same, even if you try to replicate it. There will always be something special about each carving, because of each ones different markings. Each log has a story to tell and it's never fully known until the end. I love a "dead log to life" story. It makes me think of myself and people in general. What someone would consider dead and not useful, has so much potential hidden underneath if only it was given a chance. I was once a dead log, but God is daily, carving me into something new. Something that I would never have seen or expected
An unexpected turn...
My name is Timothy, owner of Dead Log Designs, and here is the story of how I fell into the world of chainsaw carving/woodworking. Its been some years now but it feels like it was just yesterday. My cousin, who is a professional chainsaw carver, invited me to one of his carving events. I had never thought that chainsaw carving would even be something I'd be interested in doing myself or something I'd even excel at. I've always been a creative type, love real hands-on art, and even pursued glass blowing for a long time. It wasn't until I was bit with a strong curiosity and asked my cousin if he could show me how he does it. I look up to him a lot and so many people would kill to get into his carving thought process. I figured, since we're cousins, he would give me a lesson, instead, no kidding...he hands me one of his spare chainsaws, one of his logs, and walked away from me...I got zero special treatment or instructions and I respect it!
The best way to learn is to just do it. I truly am a hands on learner so my cousins approach worked perfectly for me personally. It felt exhilarating. I prayed and asked God to show me how to carve, and to my surprise, he did. It might be hard to believe but He was telling me as I was carving what to do. I couldn't believe it was happening! The bear sculpture next to me in this photo was my third carving I ever carved. My second real carving was a banana (picture below)! My first sculpture attempt is some sort of creature that looks like a llama and a weird scary bear. My wife is scared of it at night time lol. The bottom line though was that this trip changed my life.
I regret not currently having more before/after sculpture pictures for my website but I have never been one to take pictures. When I'm in focus mode, the last thing I am thinking about is snapping a picture. I'm an old-fashioned, outdoorsy guy who has never been very fond of technology. My wife says that this is unacceptable and that I have to do my best to try and document this journey. I will try to be better at this. She is very proud of me and is my biggest fan. So, you can thank her for the photos that I DO have haha! I guess without her I'd never exist according to the internet. "Pics or it didn't happen." Thank you for your interest in my story and I hope I have brought you a little bit of joy today. God bless you all.
Funny Story
Inspired from a funny conversation I had with my carver cousin... "You can polish a turd all you want but in the end you still have a turd". I decided to take the saying literal and secretly carve an actual polished wood turd to make him laugh. Unfortunately, on the way to deliver the carving it fell over in my car and completely shattered my passenger side window. Normally I would have been pissed but... all I could think about was, "That's EXACTLY what a piece of SH*T WOULD do!" I couldn't stop laughing! I just couldn't believe that that had happened and now the sculpture has way more meaning than I intended it to. My cousin was in tears from laughing and I'm sure he will never forget it. But, hey.. if you want a polished turd for yourself or someone you know with a crazy sense of humor, I wouldn't mind carving more. Just shoot me a message and we'll get your order all worked out lol
