This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Inspiration from Out of the Woodwork

Port Jefferson art teacher Richard Anderson gave students at Edna Louise Spear Elementary School a chainsaw woodcarving demonstration this week. With five enormous wooden masterpieces in tow, Anderson chipped away to create a sculpture in a matter of minutes for his students.

“This is a relatively new art form that has really exploded in popularity over the past 20 years,” said Anderson. “It began as a type of folk art, but has matured into a fine art.”

Anderson shared his story with students, including anecdotes about how he first became involved with woodcarving and his experience participating in competitions. “Just like with anything else, it’s important to push yourself to be at the top of your game,” he said. “Sure, I could stick with carving only the things that I am good at making, but that wouldn’t help me to do better in competition.”

Find out what's happening in Port Jeffersonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Students in Doreen Marullo’s third-grade class, who were among the first to observe a demonstration, have been learning about lines and worked to identify the types of lines they found within the sculpture. Anderson, who has a background in carving, told students that this type of artwork is just a step up from what he used to do. “I replaced my chisel with a chainsaw,” he said. “It takes practice but it’s something I really enjoy doing.” 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?