Wow! I finally meet the chainsaw artist!

We whizzed past this Viking on our way up to the Little Susitna River overlook in the afternoon; Dotter promised faithfully that we would stop on our return trip. As you know by now, I've a weakness for chainsaw art. Besides, I promised a post for the inner he-man & what, I ask, could be more studly than creating statuary with a chain saw!

Though I do admire Viking stalwarts, a closer look told me that this fellow was definitely a follower, not a leader of men. All muscle, he looks to be.

Here's the Big Picture of what closer inspection revealed -- an outdoor studio for the sculptor and his partner, with several works in progress:

...a sturdy chair for the Round Table, hollowed from a large log...

...a large Welcome sign, held by two standard Alaskan chain saw bears, plus several other bears in various stages of emergence from spruce logs.

Jimmy Kitchen is the chain saw man, here with two of his smaller bears. He was interested to know that there are carvers, as they style themselves, back in Prescott in Arizona and we also compared notes on our mutual bark beetle problems. In Alaska, it is the spruce tree that is under attack and apparently a great many trees have died. In fact, I've seen a number of dead spruce, which are quite black, unlike the pale needles on our dying Ponderosa pines.

Jimmy has won ribbons for his work in competitions around the state. Featured in the cafe is the unusual whale (below), complete to barnacles on its flippers and tail.

Among the finished carvings on display near the highway were the wildlife totem (above) and the toadstool (below).

Also a bright red flower, courtesy of Jimmy's sculpting partner who's also his girlfriend.