Did You See This Central Minnesota Artist On The News Last Night?

Art can be found anywhere, along with the inspiration to create it. One Central Minnesota man has turned his love of art and creativity into a fun, but somewhat storage job, and last night a Twin Cities news station shared the story of an Avon man who has been creating art with a chainsaw for more than 30 years. If you haven't heard about Mark Kurtz yet, you are about to learn more about him.

Kurtz began his carving career in Junior High in an industrial arts class, he carved a fish out of wood, and that according to Kurtz "created a chain reaction". From that simple fish that earned him an A, he then worked his way up, creating larger and larger pieces like what WCCO-TV reported were "eagles, bears, and wildlife of all shapes and sizes. Plus, sailors, golfers, and other unique sculptures."

Fast-forward to today, and Mark's work, which in done in Avon, can be found across the state from churches to front yards.

If you'd like to contact Mark about a piece or are looking for examples of his work, you should check out his website, chainsawman.com, which you can also find here. 

Get our free mobile app

Every county fair I've been to has featured a chainsaw artist, and to me, and I'm sure to others there is a rugged beauty to them. Knowing that just a few hours ago the thing you are looking at, like an eagle, or wolf, or fish was just a hunk of wood, that was cut from the trunk of a tree, and now it's this fantastic piece of art that will adorn your home, business, or cabin.

You can watch the entire WCCO-TV Finding Minnesota piece below