Lakeport >> While most people may associate a chainsaw with crude but necessary upkeep such as tree trimming, Mark Colp uses the tool a little differently. With chainsaw in hand, he shapes and cuts away at chunks of wood to create large, detailed sculptures. This somewhat uncommon art form is known as wood carving.
Colp owns Wooden Creations in Lakeport where he creates any number of custom carvings for clients, but he spends a large chunk of every summer traveling from carving competition to carving competition. Before the month is through, he’ll have competed at three events, including the Chetwynd International Chainsaw Carving Championship in British Columbia, June 11-14. The event was an invite-only international affair between 12 competitors. Though Colp didn’t place in the top three, he’s still inarguably one of the best 12 wood carvers around.
He also won the Minister’s Award for his totem pole-like sculpture depicting an eagle, an elk and a mother grisly bear with its cub. Feeling his piece best portrayed the area, representatives of British Columbia bestowed the award upon him.
As further proof of his talent, Colp has been featured on two separate Canadian TV shows: Saw Dogs and Carver Kings. The first show filmed and aired a handful of years ago, while Carver Kings has recently been broadcast on HGTV Canada and will make it’s way to U.S. television in the months to come.
For Carver Kings, Colp was tasked with creating carvings for multimillion dollar log homes. As is common with reality television, the show explored human relationships just as much as its subject matter. “The show basically showcased the homes and the sculptures and how well they fit together,” Colp explained. “The show is for entertainment purposes. It basically showed how a number of wood carvers interacted together and with the clients. Sometimes we had a great time laughing together and other times we were stressed out.”
Colp’s work is extraordinarily detailed, some pieces so elaborate one might wonder how he managed to create them using a chainsaw. His work is even more exceptional considering he can finish something in only a few minutes. His more involved pieces take just a handful of days. “It’s amazing what you can get done when you’re in a hurry,” Colp said.
Colp insisted his skill is due to years of practice, but a decent amount of talent undoubtedly plays a part. Though he’s surely improved over the years, when he was first learning Colp never looked at a blunder as a mistake, but rather as a part of his vision. “Any time you’re doing any kind of sculpture, it’s the interpretation of the artist,” Colp said.
There was never a time when Colp wasn’t surrounded by wood carving thanks to his father’s interest in the art. In 1981, Colp was fresh out of high school when he picked up a chainsaw to follow in his dad’s footsteps. He never looked back. “I enjoy it mostly because I get to do something that I really like doing and people like it,” he said. “It just gives me the opportunity to do what I love doing but also make people happy.”
When he doesn’t have specific requests from clients, Colp’s pieces are inspired by the natural world around him. “Any time I can mimic something he’s [God] already done I feel like I’ve accomplished something,” Colp said. “God himself, he’s a great artist, he’s a great creator, the world is full of great ideas. Any time I can get close to perfecting it, I feel pretty fortunate to be able to do that.”
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
