Nebraskan uses chain saw to fashion his totem art

Post date: Jun 20, 2009 7:15:10 PM

By CHRIS BRISTOL, from: Fremont Tribune, http://www.fremontneb.com , June 20, 2009

FREMONT, Neb. (AP) -- Jerry Byrns of Elwood [son of Mike Byrns and grandson of Jim & Phyllis Byrns of 2 Kirby Point, Johnson Lake] just keeps chipping away at it.

"I've been doing this for six years," Byrns said. "I started when I was 13 (years old)."

One nick at a time, Byrns uses his two chain saws to turn tree stumps into totem art at Valley View Golf Course.

Valley View suffered significant damage to many of its trees during the thunderstorm that ripped through the area on June 30, 2008.

"It's a shame losing all those trees," said Mark Simonson, Valley View's course superintendent. "Why ground out all of those stumps? Why not turn it into something positive?"

So Byrns was put to work to turn six large stumps into unique pieces of sculpture.

"I started (chain-saw carving) in Missouri, carving morel mushrooms," Byrns said.

Byrns, who worked as an understudy, said the mushroom carving was so popular he could barely keep up with demand.

After he moved to Elwood, he began creating what he calls "name logs," where he creates a flat face to a log and then carves a name through the log.

Amid a flurry of sawdust, Byrns recently shaped the stumps into a bear, a face and an eagle by slicing large chunks off or deftly drawing in strands of hair and feathers.

"This is the first face I've done," Byrns smiled, "I think it's OK."

After the sculpting is done, the art will have to be burned with a torch before being painted.

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Information from: Fremont Tribune, http://www.fremontneb.com