Chainsaw Art Gains Popularity

Kamla Ravikumar from India sent me some pictures of great chainsaw art that were done by Randall D. Boni of Simple Abundance [Archive] in Tennesee.

Randy Boni has been sculpting full time since 1989. He only sculpts dying or damaged trees and transforms them into works of art. In fact, Bone has a tremendous respect for trees through conservation and forest management.

"If a tree is dying or has to be taken down, I feel I'm preserving some remembrance of the tree with my carvings," says Boni.

As you can see, Randy uses the entire tree in his sculptures. He only carves on dying or damaged trees. Click on all the images for full size.

What makes his work more remarkable is that Boni was legally blind for over 30 years. He and his twin brother were born with cataracts. In is late 30's, he underwent surgery and this allowed him to see for the first time.

Boni said, "The very first thing I did (following surgery), was run out to East Branch Dam to see the thick cable draped across it. People used to ask me, 'you mean you can't see that cable?' I couldn't even see that a leaf had veins, or flowers had individual petals. I can see now, and I know how fortunate I really am," stated Boni.

Boni has churned out many sculptures and is considered one of the most prolific chainsaw artists in the world. He says that growing up near the Allegheny National Forest allowed him to appreciate wildlife and trees. He wants to bring life again to those memories in wood carving.

As you can see by his work below, he also paints his sculptures. You can find Boni sculptures all over the country. He also offers work for sale on his website.