Nice Wood Carvers

Simon O’Rourke is a chainsaw carver who currently resides in Wales. He originally got a degree in illustration, wanting to ultimately get commissioned for children books, but since he needed a full time job, he became a carver.  He usually creates his art by using existing stumps, or taking wasted timber.  Through the use of hand tools and chainsaws, he is able to create beautiful pieces of work, ranging from various types of animals to elegant sculptures of women.  He has competed in a plethora of chainsaw carving competitions all around the world.  His works are usually featured in public places or private gardens

Paul Baden is a self taught sculptor that was fascinated with the layers of plywood that mimicked contour lines. He usually sculpts with laminate wood veneers. His work is about exploring the shape, and making a form that allows the mind and hand to navigate through the shape.  He loves to maneuver his way around these wood forms and create something that has never been done before. Much of his work consists of human forms. Something so basic turns into a simple form to Baden, and with his sculptures, his depictions of human bodies are incredibly interesting and capture the essence of natural body form and makes something we see everyday into artwork.

Patrick Burke is from Wisconsin and has travelled to Florence and studied at Ortisei Village, being the only non-European to attend the school.  There, he enhanced his skills in wood carving, and though his work is incredibly intricate, he states that he is nowhere near where he wants to be as a wood sculptor. His work is one of the finest I’ve seen personally, and his subject matter, no matter how mundane, is done with such great detail, it is hard to believe that it is made of wood.