Story by Hannah Zimmer
Photos by Andy Abeyta
Multimedia by Bianca Pallotta

At 8 a.m. artist Kevin Strauslin’s chainsaw is roaring, piling up sawdust, and transforming what began as a rough sketch on a chalkboard into a lifelike three-dimensional figure. For the next ten hours, nothing will come between Strauslin, his chainsaw, and the seven-foot-tall Western red cedar log standing in the middle of his studio.
To some, chainsaw woodcarving is a dangerous yet thrilling hobby. To others, like Strauslin, owner of Oregon 3D Art and Chainsaw Sculptures in Salem, Oregon, it is a way of life. The art became popular in the 1950s when Ray Murphy, one of the first people to declare chainsaw carving an art, began using chainsaws to create animals and furniture out of wood. Since then, chainsaw woodcarving has grown into a unique expression of talent.
Before taking up the chainsaw, Strauslin spent nearly 30 years working in the drywall industry feeling unsatisfied with the lack of creativity his job offered. In 2008 while driving home from work, Strauslin became intrigued by what appeared to be animal woodcarvings on display in front of a studio, and he pulled off the highway to take a closer look. The studio’s owner introduced Strauslin to his hobby, and Strauslin was immediately hooked on chainsaw carving. After Strauslin carved a detailed salmon out of a small scrap of wood, he says he knew this was the new direction his life would take.
Within four months, Strauslin had taken over the shop and named it Oregon 3D Art and Chainsaw Sculptures. Now after five years of professional carving, Strauslin can bend his body and move with the agility of a skilled craftsman to achieve the expressive angles and sinewy textures that represent each animal’s personality; his finely detailed carvings are then incorporated into furniture items such as kitchen tables, benches, and shelving. Strauslin has also worked to establish a customer base and to meet other carvers in the industry. He says the chainsaw carving industry is competitive, but it is also a way to bond through a rare art form. “It’s an art as well as a sport,” Strauslin laughs.
He and his son Tyler, 20, compete in the annual Logs to Frogs Chainsaw Carving Competition held in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, and the Oregon Divisional Chainsaw Carving Championship, which is held every year during Father’s Day weekend in Reedsport. Artists are given a set amount of time to complete their creations—some competitions last only two hours, others last as many as ten. The artists work rigorously in their leather aprons, competing to show the judges and onlookers how they can turn a generic log into a piece of art that can be showcased in their home, businesses, or given as gifts.
Traditional competitions begin when artists draw a number for the log they will carve. Once the theme is announced, which can range from animals to people or even phrases, artists take their positions in outdoor tents. The sounds of chainsaws, electric sanders, and grinders take over as the artists focus. Strauslin says he blasts Led Zeppelin through his headphones while he works because it allows him to “forget about the other carvers and let [his] imagination guide [him] toward a winning piece.”
Although Strauslin enjoys the excitement of competition, he says it isn’t the most important aspect of his career. At Oregon 3D Art, Strauslin finds his greatest rewards filling custom orders that allow him creative freedom to be the true artist he is. To expand his business, Strauslin decided to build a larger studio in nearby Salem, and once the new studio is complete, he plans to officially hire Tyler to work at Oregon 3D Art. “I don’t really need a pat on the back when I win. What I need is my place here, to be able to communicate with customers and to be with my family,” Strauslin says. “I can’t wait to have Tyler in here with me.”
Despite his excitement about the future, Strauslin knows he wants his woodcarving legacy to live on in Eugene. He has now passed his Eugene-based business to fellow carving enthusiast Brian Vorwaller, who has transformed it into Artist Extreme woodcarving studio. “When I saw that Brian needed a place, I knew I had to help him out,” says Strauslin, who showcases a handful of Vorwaller’s pieces at his new gallery in Salem. Both artists have taken their love of art and parlayed it into a lifestyle full of long days in the studio, showings at art exhibits around the country, and exhilarating competitions. “It’s a labor of love—a way to express yourself through wood. It’s pretty intense, and definitely rewarding,” says Vorwaller, who began thinking about woodcarving as a teen living in Utah.
But it wasn’t until years later while chopping firewood that Vorwaller decided to give the craft a try. In 2009, after accidently smashing his hand with a sledgehammer and wedge while chopping wood, he joked to his wife, “If you let me get a chainsaw, maybe I’ll build you a bear.” After healing from his injury, Vorwaller got his hands on a chainsaw and some wood and began carving animals. “I saw that people wanted to buy them, so I just kept making more and just started getting into it,” Vorwaller says. After that, he knew it was time he and his wife moved to Eugene—the town Vorwaller refers to as “Wood City.”
According to Vorwaller, wood harvested in the Northwest is much softer than wood found in Utah. The Sitka Spruce, a softwood and native Oregon evergreen, is a wood Vorwaller says he commonly works with. It is the third tallest tree species in the world and is ideal for carving larger pieces, which gives Northwest artists an advantage by having easy access to this prized wood. “You’ve got most varieties of wood up here [in Oregon]. In Utah, you get a variety of woods, but nothing real big. Up here, it’s mostly redwood and red cedar—real pretty for carving,” Vorwaller explains.
The excitement of woodcarving is what Vorwaller says keeps him going. Living in Oregon, where wood is cherished and admired offers artists like he and Strauslin an opportunity to step away from the demands of everyday life and express themselves through art. “I love the intensity of woodcarving—it takes your mind off of anything else,” Vorwaller says.
By 6 p.m., Kevin Strauslin’s chainsaw is silenced and sawdust is being swept up. What started as a seven-foot-tall Western red cedar log has transformed into a large grizzly bear catching a wild salmon, complete with detailed textures adding the impression of fur to the body and expression on its face. After applying finish to the bear, Strauslin heads home and begins envisioning the next piece he will start as soon as morning comes.