The Craft of Carving

When you think of a chainsaw, your initial thought is probably not one of a tool capable of creating beautiful works of art. In the hands of Co-op member Rick Torres, however, it — as well as a blowtorch and sander — become instruments akin to a painter’s palette and a multitude of brushes, all necessary to produce a masterpiece. And if you were to visit Torres’ shop, you would find no shortage of masterpieces on display. 
  

Set back off the beaten path down a winding gravel driveway in the woods of Felton, visitors are greeted by several of his creations as soon as they walk in the door of his workshop: A 7-foot-tall grizzly bear carving seemingly guards the entrance, accompanied by a large gray wolf, a bald eagle and several of their forest friends. If you were to venture out behind the shop itself, you would find Torres’ canvases. Trunks of mostly white pine, their bark removed, reveal a smooth interior, their earthy scent filling the air as Torres uses his tools to sculpt them into their new life of whatever he imagines. 
  

When he was 18 years old, Torres first discovered the medium of chainsaw carving when he was part of the audience at a carving demonstration at the Delaware State Fair. He was captivated by what he saw. Thanks to his father, with whom he had previously tried his hand at whittling, he was already familiar with the traditional style of wood carving. While he always held a general interest in the craft, Torres says his level of patience as a young man didn't suit the slower, detail-oriented speed. When he realized he could attempt the same artistry at a faster pace — using a chainsaw instead — his interest was piqued.
  

“The funny thing is, my dad would always say I had no patience because I would tend to hack things up real quick, and that finer style of wood carving takes a while,” Torres recalls. “When I saw that guy at the Fair with the chainsaw, I was like ‘Wait a minute — I can do that’, so it really fit me to be a chainsaw carver.”
  

While the initial process moves much more quickly than traditional carving from the outset, an average project can still take Torres two to three days to complete from start to finish. The rough outline of many of his creations can be carved out in an hour or less. Then, the precision work begins. The majority of a chainsaw carver's work — even details such as texture and facial expressions — can be mostly accomplished using only the power tool itself. Refining those details requires items such as smaller saws, Dremel tools and even a blowtorch, which Torres says he uses to smooth out edges on his designs before sanding them down and painting them.
  

One of Torres’ early designs was also his largest to date: a 20-foot-tall castle with a dragon at its peak, a bat hanging within and a life-size gargoyle climbing up its side to take on his scaly rival. While Torres has previously carved pieces competitively, he now says he prefers doing commissioned work or simply presenting at festivals, demonstrating his skill for an eager audience.
  

“When somebody sees a log, and they saw the log from the start, and the next thing you know, it turns into an owl or something like that, it’s pretty cool. They have a really excited reaction, and most people want that piece to take home with them because they can say ‘I got to see that being made, and now I have to have it,’” Torres says. “That's the part of chainsaw carving that's really cool. You can make something where people feel a part of the process, and that's the most rewarding thing for me.”
  

To see more of Torres' work or to find out where you can watch him perform a live demonstration, visit rjtorresartistry.com or search Facebook, Instagram or YouTube for RJ Torres Artistry.