When most people see a fallen tree, they think of firewood. But for Chris Lantz, he can picture a rustic work of art.
Since 2009, the Northeast Georgia resident has wielded a chain saw, a tool used mostly for cutting up trees for firewood, to carve downed trees and stumps into spectacular sculptures that offer a realism not found in a lot of artwork. During the past 16-plus years, Chris has dedicated himself to learning the craft of creating custom chain saw carvings for customers all across the country.
“I became a chainsaw sculptor primarily out of necessity,” he remembers. “In 2009, during the recession, I needed a job and an outlet for my creativity. I watched my dad, two uncles and cousin carve while I was growing up. From there, it was a lot of trial and error. I made a lot of terrible sculptures, and, slowly, they became not as terrible.”
After absorbing what he’d seen family members doing, a 19-year-old Chris left home in December 2009 “with a trash bag of clothes, a $20 bill and a pack of cigarettes, with only a dream: to become one of the best chainsaw carvers in the world,” according to his website bio. After traveling a winding path filled with numerous hardships he hadn’t anticipated, he ended up with a cousin who taught him to carve and was able to get his life on track.
“Carving offers a lot of freedom, not only with my time but also artistic expression,” he says. “I get to go on great adventures and meet people from all walks of life through this art form.”
Chris notes he’s never had any formal artistic training outside of carving, but he’s always enjoyed creating things with his hands, making his form of sculpting a perfect outlet. He carves the sculptures from Eastern red cedar, pine, black walnut and bald cypress, then uses smaller tools, like sanders, torches and an airbrush, to finish the finer details and smooth rough edges. The award-winning artist also specializes in transforming tree stumps from eyesores to beautiful works of art.
Now, the chainsaw sculptor extraordinaire has achieved the successful, fulfilling career he was seeking. He regularly services customers across the Southeast but also travels to other parts of the country a few times a year. And as he continues to sharpen his existing skills and expose new ones, the value of his pieces continues to increase.
“I’ve made stuff from a couple hundred dollars when I started to a few thousand a few years in to multiple tens of thousands now,” he describes. “But eventually, I do believe it’s possible to create one-of-a-kind works of chainsaw art upwards of $100,000.”
Chris tends to lean toward North American wildlife — bears, eagles, owls, wolves, deer and elk — as his favorite subjects, but he also has “an affinity for doing portraits of people’s pets.” However, two of his most unusual projects didn’t fall into either category.
“The first was a cartoon totem of characters from Studio Ghibli in Marietta, Georgia,” he remembers. “A homeowner approached me with an eclectic idea, and we just went with it. It’s right along a neighborhood walking path and gets a lot of admirers. The second was an abstract smooth sculpture I created recently, also in Marietta. It was so different from my typical wildlife style, but I really enjoyed the shapes and movement and emotion I was able to pour into the sculpture.”
Chris and his wife, Courtney, who live outside Clarkesville with their three daughters and black Labrador puppy, run the family business, Extreme Sculpting, from their new workshop and gallery space in Lakemont, which Chris currently is renovating.
“My wife, Courtney, has helped with my business since the day we got married,” he says. “At first, it was physical help — sanding, burning, helping move pieces. Now, her help is in the way of online management and all of the ‘behind the scenes’ of running our business.”
They’ve also traveled the country together, from Alaska to Florida, Massachusetts to Washington, to complete customers’ projects and to compete in competitions.
“Throughout my career of carving competitively, which started in 2013, I have amassed close to 50 ribbons, medals and trophies,” Chris reflects. “I’ve recently dipped my toes into the competitive ice-carving world, and the first year I worked with ice up in Fairbanks, Alaska, I was able to get fourth place.”
But the sculptor has “recently scaled back on competitions and shows. In 2021, we were on the road for 90 days straight doing fairs, festivals, demonstrations, etc. In more recent years, it’s shifted to larger on-site stump sculptures. This year, my goal is to stick around home more.”
Though his career has been filled with amazing accomplishments, Chris still has something he hopes to do.
“One of my main goals and desires is to carve a 40-foot wall on the inside of a house,” he explains. “I’d even carve an entire neighborhood. I envision custom log homes with sculpted details throughout the insides and outsides of all of them. I’d love to work with a handful of my friends in this field and create something truly amazing.”
For more information, please visit extremesculpting.com.
