Grizz Works in Maple brings logs to life with chainsaw carvings
Clip | 5m 19sVideo has Closed Captions
Wisconsin chainsaw artist Justin Howland sculpts massive, intricate wildlife from logs.
Justin Howland is a world-class chainsaw artist based in Wisconsin. For more than 26 years, he has carved massive, intricate wildlife from raw logs at Grizz Works, including a 24.5-foot wildlife collage and a firefighter — with the full gear and mask — for the TV show "Extreme Makeover."
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Wisconsin Life is a local public television program presented by PBS Wisconsin
Funding for Wisconsin Life is provided by the Wooden Nickel Fund, Mary and Lowell Peterson, A.C.V. and Mary Elston Family, Leon Price & Lily Postel, Stanley J. Cottrill Fund, UW...
Grizz Works in Maple brings logs to life with chainsaw carvings
Clip | 5m 19sVideo has Closed Captions
Justin Howland is a world-class chainsaw artist based in Wisconsin. For more than 26 years, he has carved massive, intricate wildlife from raw logs at Grizz Works, including a 24.5-foot wildlife collage and a firefighter — with the full gear and mask — for the TV show "Extreme Makeover."
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship[chainsaw revs] [hard rock music] - Angela Fitzgerald: Justin Howland is a world-class chainsaw artist and the creative force behind Grizz Works.
- Justin Howland: We carved competitively, you know, and we would start getting good and we traveled around the country.
We carved at a world level for a while.
- Angela: Armed with nothing but a roaring chainsaw and a sculptor's vision, Justin breathes life into raw wood, transforming forgotten logs into wildlife masterpieces.
- You can visualize it, and with the chainsaw, you can get rid of all the wood and find it inside of there.
I'm looking at his ear and making sure they're balanced.
Find where his eyes are, and I cut those out, and then I shape his nose.
- Angela: Justin first started to hone his artistic skills at an early age.
His dedication and natural ability set him apart.
- Justin: Want me to sketch you a bear real quick?
- Angela: In high school, he was an award-winning pencil artist.
- Justin: So, this is what I'm seeing when I'm carving.
I wanted to be a professional artist, but after high school, I didn't really have the means to achieve that.
And when I found chainsaw carving, I thought, "This might be my chance to be a professional artist."
I was comfortable with the chainsaw and I had some artistic ability.
I just kind of put two and two together.
- Angela: Without any formal training, Justin set out to carve his first bear.
- Justing: I carved that whole six-foot bear over the course of about three days.
It wasn't as great as what I envisioned.
[laughs] To me, it looked like a guy in a Mickey Mouse suit.
- Angela: Within a few years, Justin perfected his craft.
- Justin: I wanted to do it so bad and I wanted to be good at it.
And then, I figured that we were onto something.
We had, I think, 60-some people waiting for a carving.
- Angela: Justin left his concrete finishing job and cemented his future.
- I think I'm gonna stay home and try this chainsaw carving for a while.
They kind of laughed at me.
- Angela: His world now revolves around the hum of a saw and the soul of the wood.
- They thought I was crazy to try to be an artist for a living, but... [laughs] It's, yeah, I don't know, it's working.
- Angela: For more than 26 years, Justin has created thousands of carvings.
The piles of sawdust and wood scraps are testament to his art.
- Justin: We've got stuff all over the country, all over the world really.
We carved one last year that was 24 and a half feet tall.
It's a wildlife collage.
I like working on the really big ones 'cause I have a lot of big logs to work with and I really enjoy the end product that has a presence.
We do a lot of, like, 36-inch wide by 10-foot tall grizzly bears and stuff like that.
- Angela: This hand-forged art also caught the attention of the hit TV show Extreme Makeover.
- They asked us if we would do a carving for the show.
A firefighter with the full gear and the mask.
He had a baby that was wrapped in a blanket.
We've done gun fighters and warriors and gladiators.
- Angela: The gladiator is his most cherished, built hand in hand with his brother.
- Justin: It was, like, six and a half feet tall, but then we carved cedar armor for it.
He had steel weapons that were made out of farm implements.
That was probably my favorite project.
- Angela: Hidden from the highway's steady rush, Justin's secluded outdoor gallery unveils a collection of handcrafted art.
- Justin: People will stop and they'll say, "We didn't know there was all this stuff here."
It is our private property.
We want people to enjoy it.
- Angela: For Justin, carving is no longer just a pastime.
He is a true artisan of the Northwoods.
- I still enjoy it, especially when you're gonna get into a really big piece of wood and you've got to use a really big saw to get the big pieces off right away.
To be an artist every day is what motivates me.
[bright music]
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Wisconsin Life is a local public television program presented by PBS Wisconsin
Funding for Wisconsin Life is provided by the Wooden Nickel Fund, Mary and Lowell Peterson, A.C.V. and Mary Elston Family, Leon Price & Lily Postel, Stanley J. Cottrill Fund, UW...