((PKG)) CHAINSAW ARTIST
((Banner: Sculpting Trees))
((Reporter: Faiza Elmasry))
((Camera: Adam Greenbaum))
((Map: Arlington, Virginia))
((NATS: Artist Andrew starts up chainsaw))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
I’m Andrew Mallon. I’m a chainsaw artist. I’ve been doing it
for about eight years now. I’ve been doing it full time for
about four years. I love it. It’s just a great way for me to
express my art form and get these ideas out of my head and
I get to put them into a big chunk of wood.
((NATS: Chainsaw cutting))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
With the chainsaw, you’ve got to do it outside. That’s one of
the challenges. Sometimes you’re out in really cold weather
or really hot weather. Keeping that saw running at a high
volume. For me to keep working is a big challenge. Trying to
keep those saws in tip-top shape so I am not wasting time
out here, keeping the chains sharp, keeping up with all the
maintenance is very tough.
((NATS: Andrew places chainsaw on step))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
Most of my customers are people that are losing an old tree
in their yard they’ve had forever and they don’t want to lose
it. So, they ask me to come in and make something
interesting and beautiful for them.
((NATS: Chainsaw cutting))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
Here, I am carving this large oak tree. This family hired me
to come in and carve two little bears on the tree and try to
make it playful and fun. They’ve got two young children.
They want each bear to represent their children. And I am
also trying to put little notches on the tree so they can climb
and kind of play on and have some fun and interact with it.
((NATS: Andrew cutting with chainsaw))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
I try to do majority of my work with the chainsaw. It’s a lot
faster.
((NATS: Andrew opening tool box))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
I do use some little dremels and die grinders and they’ll do
details for me like the eyeballs and like around the mouth
and inside an ear or something. So, I have grinders and
sanders also to smooth out the projects.
((NATS: Andrew firing up torch))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
I also use a blowtorch for a lot of my color to get shade and
contrast. So, I’ll go up and I’ll burn the project and then I’ll
come back and sand a lot of that burn off or leave some burn
in darker areas. That helps me with the shading so you can
see the project.
I do a lot of animals because it is just an easy thing to
capture beautiful animals in their environment.
I just did a large tulip poplar (tree) at Hidden Oaks Nature
Center in Annandale, Virginia.
There is about 12 different animals on the tree, about 9
different species of animals. There is an owl really up high
and then another owl behind it and a baby owl in the crevice.
There is a squirrel. There is a raccoon. There is opossum.
The raccoon is popping out of a little hole in the tree.
((NAT: Suzanne Holland))
So you tell me the names of these animals in German.
((Suzanne Holland, Spokeswoman, Hidden Oak Nature
Center))
We had literally hundreds of people come by the Nature
Center for the first time, of all ages, to enjoy the tree. And
you can see how people get drawn in and want to pet the
sculpture and engage directly.
((NAT: Suzanne Holland))
Thank you for teaching me all the new names for the
animals. I appreciate that!!
((Suzanne Holland, Spokeswoman, Hidden Oak Nature
Center))
We use this now as a cornerstone for our animal habitat
programs for school groups.
((NATS: Andrew using chainsaw))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
The neighbors appreciate it and everybody gets to enjoy it,
really.
((NATS: Andrew with chainsaw))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
Every now and then, I get a little complaint, “when you are
going to be finished? It’s really loud and I am working in my
office.” So, every now and then I get that but generally it’s a
pretty quick process. So, people enjoy it most of the time.
((NATS: Chainsaw Sculpting))
((Banner: Sculpting Trees))
((Reporter: Faiza Elmasry))
((Camera: Adam Greenbaum))
((Map: Arlington, Virginia))
((NATS: Artist Andrew starts up chainsaw))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
I’m Andrew Mallon. I’m a chainsaw artist. I’ve been doing it
for about eight years now. I’ve been doing it full time for
about four years. I love it. It’s just a great way for me to
express my art form and get these ideas out of my head and
I get to put them into a big chunk of wood.
((NATS: Chainsaw cutting))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
With the chainsaw, you’ve got to do it outside. That’s one of
the challenges. Sometimes you’re out in really cold weather
or really hot weather. Keeping that saw running at a high
volume. For me to keep working is a big challenge. Trying to
keep those saws in tip-top shape so I am not wasting time
out here, keeping the chains sharp, keeping up with all the
maintenance is very tough.
((NATS: Andrew places chainsaw on step))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
Most of my customers are people that are losing an old tree
in their yard they’ve had forever and they don’t want to lose
it. So, they ask me to come in and make something
interesting and beautiful for them.
((NATS: Chainsaw cutting))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
Here, I am carving this large oak tree. This family hired me
to come in and carve two little bears on the tree and try to
make it playful and fun. They’ve got two young children.
They want each bear to represent their children. And I am
also trying to put little notches on the tree so they can climb
and kind of play on and have some fun and interact with it.
((NATS: Andrew cutting with chainsaw))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
I try to do majority of my work with the chainsaw. It’s a lot
faster.
((NATS: Andrew opening tool box))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
I do use some little dremels and die grinders and they’ll do
details for me like the eyeballs and like around the mouth
and inside an ear or something. So, I have grinders and
sanders also to smooth out the projects.
((NATS: Andrew firing up torch))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
I also use a blowtorch for a lot of my color to get shade and
contrast. So, I’ll go up and I’ll burn the project and then I’ll
come back and sand a lot of that burn off or leave some burn
in darker areas. That helps me with the shading so you can
see the project.
I do a lot of animals because it is just an easy thing to
capture beautiful animals in their environment.
I just did a large tulip poplar (tree) at Hidden Oaks Nature
Center in Annandale, Virginia.
There is about 12 different animals on the tree, about 9
different species of animals. There is an owl really up high
and then another owl behind it and a baby owl in the crevice.
There is a squirrel. There is a raccoon. There is opossum.
The raccoon is popping out of a little hole in the tree.
((NAT: Suzanne Holland))
So you tell me the names of these animals in German.
((Suzanne Holland, Spokeswoman, Hidden Oak Nature
Center))
We had literally hundreds of people come by the Nature
Center for the first time, of all ages, to enjoy the tree. And
you can see how people get drawn in and want to pet the
sculpture and engage directly.
((NAT: Suzanne Holland))
Thank you for teaching me all the new names for the
animals. I appreciate that!!
((Suzanne Holland, Spokeswoman, Hidden Oak Nature
Center))
We use this now as a cornerstone for our animal habitat
programs for school groups.
((NATS: Andrew using chainsaw))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
The neighbors appreciate it and everybody gets to enjoy it,
really.
((NATS: Andrew with chainsaw))
((Andrew Mallon, Chainsaw Artist))
Every now and then, I get a little complaint, “when you are
going to be finished? It’s really loud and I am working in my
office.” So, every now and then I get that but generally it’s a
pretty quick process. So, people enjoy it most of the time.
((NATS: Chainsaw Sculpting))
