Joel and Pam Ostrander - A Collaborative Chainsaw Sculpting Team
I have a passion for chainsaw sculpting because it allows me to be creative and express my ideas through the raw power of a chainsaw. It's a very empowering art form that engages all the senses from the strength and agility it takes to wield a chainsaw, to the engine roar and smell of fresh cut wood. I grew up with an appreciation for wood, instilled by my dad. He passed that on to me through his many carpentry stories and projects we worked on together over the years.
Our sculpture designs are driven by a specific requirement or an idea. Sometimes the inspiration for sculptures comes from the natural shape and contour of a piece of wood. These types of sculptures are my favorite, when I am inspired by a piece of wood to create something beautiful. I prefer to carve in pine and cedar for its ease and workability. Softwoods are easier on the equipment and less physically demanding. Hardwoods are sometimes used for there strength or dark rich colors. Our sculptures are 95% created with chainsaws of varying size and detailed sanders, burning torch, and grinders are used to accent details and bring out the natural beauty of the wood.
I started out hand carving 15 years ago. After a couple of years I discovered the full throttled art form, chainsaw sculpting. I also discovered the same wildlife and nature inspired carvings that I created with a knife and gouge could be shaped with rapid speed on a larger scale with a chainsaw using a log or timber as the medium.
My wonderful wife Pam and I have collaborated on many projects and have become very good team. Pam has supported all my crazy ideas. Collaboration is another word for a synergistic working environment that has developed over the course of 20 years of working together. From the first design ideas to the last finishing steps, we both work on our pieces to emerge from raw logs to finish works. Both have the skills necessary to do any job that is required at any step in the process. Over the years, we have traveled to competitions and shows all over the State of Michigan and the Great Lakes region.
We strive to create furniture and sculptures that are functional, have beauty, and of personal interest. We both share a love of nature, wildlife and country living, which you can see, in our works. Recently, we have added rustic furniture to our line up of products. We are exploring the idea of marrying sculpting and pyrographic art to rustic log furniture.