Welcome to our 6th annual International Chainsaw Carving Championship!!!!

We are so exited for our 20, extremely talented, carvers to arrive and blow us away as they always do!!! In the passed five years we have watched them create awe-inspiring carvings, and I’m sure they wont disappoint this year. With some of the worlds best carvers joining, this should be awesome!!!!! So, without further ado, lets meet this years competitors.

 

Dennis Beach – Pennsylvania

Denis lives in the wooded hills of Wapwallopen, Pennsylvania. He cut into his first hardwood log in the early 1980s and has been sculpting some of todays greatest woodcarvings. Denis specializes is speed carvings, where he spends 30 minutes on stage with one log and quickly transforms a piece of nature into a piece of art. He has carved wood in New York, Kentucky, Georgia, Germany, Australia and Japan. Additionally Denis has carved ice in Alaska and Austria and went to the Caribbean islands to carve coral.

 

Mark Colp – California

Mark was born in Alberta but makes his home in California. Mark started carving right out of high school and has been carving for over 36 years.  Mark was on the reality show Carver Kings which can be seen on Netflix.  He was also on many episodes of the reality show Saw Dogs.  Mark has won many awards and he enjoys seeing people take his art home.

Jeff May – Idaho

Jeff May finds his slice of paradise in the foot hills, west  of the Bitterroot Mountains just north of Coeur D Alene, Idaho. For the past 22 years he has been sculpting wildlife from his home-based studio nestled in the woods where he enjoys bringing his subjects to life.“  He works mostly on commissions, based in the Northwest as he enjoys being intimately connected to the people and places his sculptures are installed. Jeff says, ” The road to creating anything begins with a willingness to fail first, but taking risks will develop you as an artist quicker than anything he’s experienced”. , Jeff strives to bring striking details into a sculpture where it counts and considers himself a lifelong learner. You can find more of his work via his website www.JeffMayArt.com

Ryan Villilers – Canada

Ryan Villiers is from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Villiers has sold commissions across our great nation and throughout the United States. Villiers got into carving in 2017 after watching Carver Kings and transitioning from work as a heavy-duty mechanic. His first portrait carving was of his grandfather who died in 2018. Villiers pours his talent and passion into every single piece and this award-winning artist is no stranger to international acclaim. Ryan creates unique, detailed, and memorable pieces that are sure to capture, commemorate or showcase your business or interests.

Marina Cole – Canada

Marina was always amused by art. She meddled in various mediums never really finding the one that was to be hers, until she was mesmerized by a hand carved Japanese Dragon. She at once took initiative to find where she could learn to express herself in such a way. Marina picked up her first chainsaw on April 9th, 2016. It was 2 months later that she entered her first competition. She had entered the novice category which did not have a ranking. It was all for the experience and wisdom of fellow carvers. Since that competition in June 2016, she has been involved in other competitions and events around the world such as Australia, Alaska and of course throughout British Columbia and Alberta.

Zoe Dussia – Pennsylvania

Zoe is a product of the Ridgway Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous, a world renowned event in  small town Pennsylvania hosted by her family. Her dad and uncle started carving while she was in grade school but  the desire to try it came from travel  and being inspired by the women carvers at the Rendezvous who broke her stereotypes of what a carver looked like and what they chose to carve. The rendezvous brought international artists with free sharing of ideas and knowledge. It  opened doors and gave tons of inspiration.
 She has  been a featured artist in the Art of Chainsaw Carving (volume 2) and has competed and demonstrated internationally, which challenges her to continue to try new things and fuels her dislike for the mundane and the repetitive. She is in awe and humbled by the beauty of nature. The chainsaw is both her pencil and her eraser, learning this skill has given the most wonderful opportunity to live a creative life and share it with her husband Joe and three children.

Joe Dussia – Pennsylvania

No stranger to Kootenai country, Joe has competed and placed  in the Libby event every year since it started.  He started  his off  as a body work artist who took his passion and creative abilities from painting and airbrush work to chainsaw artist. Born and raised in the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania, Joe’s love for the outdoors and nature lends credibility and authenticity to his artwork. He has performed at fairs and festivals across the USA and Europe. His talents are many, from mechanics to art he understands form and design and has the gumption to work hard and incorporate that into his sculptures. His finished product proves this. He is a quiet competitor whose finished pieces define the “wow” factor in chainsaw art.
Joe has a flair for creating movement in a log and his “finishing techniques” are an inspiration for growth in the artform.

 

Lkhagvadorj Dorjsuren (George) – Mongolia

Born Dorjsuren Lkhagvadorj, he now goes by his Alaskan given nickname “George” which he earned at the World Ice Sculpture Championship in Fairbanks Alaska. The volunteers there nicknamed him “George” because of the difficulty they have pronouncing his Mongolian name. Like everything else, he accepts it with a grin and gets right back to work. George was the first Mongolian to carve ice as an art form. George has competed in many competitions internationally however; this will be George’s first time competing in our competition. We look forward to seeing his art in person.

Adrian Bois – Argentina

Adrian is from Villa Elisa in Argentina. Adrian has been competitively carving for about six years.  Adrian began his career building wooden toys and small hand carved pieces.  Adrian has traveled around the world carving and he says this is all due to the chainsaw carving world.  He says chainsaw carvers are like a big family and he is proud to be part of the family.

 

Niels Ejnar Petersen – Denmark

Hi, my name is Niels Ejnar Petersen I am a chainsaw carver from Denmark.
I am 57 years old and have been carving for most of my life. My childhood whittling have developed into chainsaw carving and a way of life. I have been chainsaw carving since 1994 and as a pro carver since 2006. I travel a lot with my carving, attending events and competitions in USA, Canada, England, Scotland, Germany, Holland and Norway and hopefully more countries to come. I also organize an International Chainsaw Carving Festival in Denmark. I am a forester by profession and beside carving I have taught forestry at a vocational school for many years. Now I am full time carver. I am married to Margrethe who is the leader of a preschool with 150 children. She recently started carving. Together we have three grown kids and 3 grandchildren.
https://www.facebook.com/Saveniels/ www.saveniels.dk

Rob Milner – Canada

I call Nova Scotia, Canada my home. I started carving years ago to help as an escape, now it gives to me and my family. I love carving, and really enjoy seeing the diversity of works and styles of my carving brothers and sisters. Carve or starve is a way of life for me.

Raimondas Uzdravis – Lithuania

I’ve been working with a chainsaw for 31 years. I worked as a logger for ten years. I’ve been a carpenter for fifteen years. I made forest furniture, resting areas, cross the wooden bridges and stairs and gazebos. Eight years old I started chainsaw carving. I like to do burning sculptures at various festivals for the audience. I studied forestry and landscape architecture. In the international carving festivals I started in 2016.

 

Alex Pricob – Romania

Alex was born in Moldova but now resides in Washington.  Alex is returning for his 5th year. He became a professional carver in 2014 after taking 1st place in the semi-pro division in Reedsport.  He has a studio in Yelm and is a full-time carver.  We are looking forward to what he will be carving this year.

 

Sam Bowser – Scotland

My names Sam Bowsher, I’m a 24 year old, full time chainsaw carver based in the South of Scotland. I have competed in a handful of competitions over the last few years, my best result being a win of the 2020 Carve Carrbridge Online competition. I love carving wildlife, whether it’s British or worldwide. I have visited the US on a number of holidays to stay with some top carvers, namely Dayton Scoggins, Joe Dussia and Brett McLain, but never to compete. The Libby comp is one of my bucket list items that I am delighted to get the opportunity to compete in. I’ve grown up in the carving family and I absolutely love being a part of it Here’s some examples of my work

Jacob Lucas – Washington

Jacob is from Washington and has been carving since 2004.  Carving became Jacob’s dream at age 13 and the rest is history.  He has competed and placed in a number of national and international events.  He has a 10-foot tall nutcracker figure that he carved for the city of Leavenworth’s Nutcracker Museum.  Jacob will be attending our neighbors to the north chainsaw competition in Chetwynd and we wish him the best there. We cannot wait to see what he will be carving here in Libby this year.

 

 

Jerrod Flowers – Arkansas

Born and raised in Arkansas, I had no idea about the world of carving. All I knew was I wanted to work with my hands. Then, 4 years ago, like magic, I met Mark Colp, and my whole life changed. My family and I love the travel, the relationships, and the art that our lives are filled with thanks to my profession. I enjoy carving nautical themes and American native themed art. However, my goal is to make art that people can feel.

Bruce Thor – Kent, WA

“Thor from the Earth” Bruce “Thor” Thorthinstein is a self-described wanderer and gypsy chainsaw artist. Thor has been carving in the competitive arena since he showed up in Westport in 1999. Quite often he enjoys carving what he considers free style, allowing the shape, protrusions and defects in the knot to dictate the character of the face he is carving. He says his favorite competition was in England at the Queen’s summer home in 2004. “I don’t know if I make a living, but I do have a life,” Thor said.

Bongo Love –  Zimbabwe

Bingo is from Zimbabwe and is returning for his 4rd year. He started carving stone and wood when he was very young. His Grandfather was his mentor and influencer, as it is common for families to pass the trade of sculpting down to the next generation. Bongo’s animal pieces are symbolic of their tribal cultural traditions and are often inspired by dreams. He mostly focuses on mother and child, as well as family abstract pieces. Bongo learned to carve with a homemade adze and he began to master his sculptors to exhibits in galleries in both Europe and the USA. He has won multiple awards at chainsaw carving competitions.

Donald Benson – 

Don is a wood craver and the business owner of Urban Wildlife Chainsaw Art. A full-time chainsaw carver for over 12 years, he says most of his time is spent working on what he calls “production work,” fixtures of wildlife that tend to be the most popular for buyers. The Olympia-native began his wood carving career after he met his wife. His father-in-law, an 80-year-old chisel carver living in Japan, inspired Benson with his intricate carvings of flowers and Japanese culture. In 2011, Benson said he began competing at wood carving and lumber shows around the western United States.

Jeff May –  Idaho

For me, the idea of “carving” has evolved over the years. In the beginning I didn’t really set any expectations and I had know-one to teach me anything, so my experience early on was fairly limited. I had just left the ocean working as a boat captain, because I felt like God put it in my heart to be a family man, which was difficult to do working offshore. A slight curiosity led me to pick up a chainsaw and carve what I new best which was a dolphin, and the rest is history.  Over time, my confidence and passion has grown exponentially , viewing each sculpture I do, as an opportunity to say something different with the quality and expressiveness of the sculptures I make. My very first carvings were done in 1998′ in central Washington state, and shortly there after (2000′) I moved to Northern Idaho and have lived and worked there ever since. Most of my sculptures these days are made directly from my studio and delivered or shipped throughout the USA. I pinch myself everyday ; I feel blessed to be able to do what I love, working mostly from home and raising my kids in such a beautiful area of the country.