The Creative Couple of Chainsaw Art by Gerry Mandel

The Creative Couple of Chainsaw Art

BY GERRY MANDEL

thought I knew what wood

Icarving is all about: An old guy sits at a table with a knife, a chisel, some sandpaper, and carves little dogs, cats and birds from small blocks of wood. That was before I met Gered and Sonya Vinyard, a dynamic, young couple with an interesting story and impressive works of art. We met at their home in Union, Missouri, where their workshop for Black Hearts Chainsaw Art is located. More about that name shortly. Their preferred carving tool is a chainsaw. I saw ten well-used chainsaws on hooks in their workshop, where they carve many of their sculptures. Some of their larger pieces, however, are created on-site, almost all at private residences in the St. Louis area. The Vinyards jumped into their business full-time a few years ago. Before then, carving had been a hobby, squeezed in between full-time jobs and raising a family. They’ve been married 15 years and have four boys, including twins, and a 16-year-old Newfie named Izzie. During this time of sequestering, Sonya and Gered have little time to relax. “I’ve always been interested in wood carving,” says Gered. “It started when I was about ten. I liked the idea of being able to make something out of a piece of wood.” That interest became a passion many years later, while they were living in El Paso, Texas. Gered was in the Army, stationed at Ft. Bliss at the time, following three 15-month deployments in Iraq. Sonya missed the green fields and trees she had grown up among in Shamrock, North Carolina. West Texas left a lot to be desired. To get her “green fix,” as she calls it, they drove to Ruidoso, New Mexico for a few days. That’s where Gered came across a sculptor who had carved three bears. Gered was hooked; this is what he wanted to do. But there were a lot of miles in between those

TOP LEFT:

IZZY Izzy, our Newfoundland, was commissioned by a family in Texas whose Newfie had recently died. Originally meant to stand at the entrance to their ranch, they displayed him in their home. With pet memorials, we not only recreate the physical appearance of the animal, but try to capture those special qualities and personality traits to create something meaningful and unique.

PELE’, HAWAIIAN FIRE GOD-

DESS One of our most challenging sculptures is Pele’, the Hawaiian Goddess of Fire and Volcanoes. At 17-feet tall, the sculpture features Pele’, three dolphins, six sea turtles, and several pieces of coral. We collaborated with our client for this design, based on research of Pele and local tradition. The dolphins radiate healing energy in mind, body, and spirit. ELEPHANT This elephant was carved from a pin oak that had to be taken down. It is nestled deep in the woods near a private residence outside of Eureka, MO. The elephant was chosen as a symbol of loyalty, peace, reliability, and sensitivity, qualities we incorporated in the piece.

BOTTOM LEFT: BLACKHAWK CHAINSAW ARTS'

Gered and Sonya Vinyard

two events. “I’ve lived in New Mexico, South Dakota, Oregon, in Germany for two years in the Army. When I got out of the military, I considered doing contracting, but it meant I’d be gone a lot. I wanted to be close to my family.” He had been stationed at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, followed by Fort Bliss. Then their lives changed, brought about by family considerations and an unfulfilled creative impulse. “We wanted our boys to be able to experience a less active lifestyle without planning for our next move. So, we made the difficult decision to begin a new chapter in our lives,” says Sonya. After ten years in the service, Gered decided to get out of the Army. They moved back to Missouri to be closer to family. “It was a terrifying decision at the time, but looking back now, we are both so grateful we made that choice,” she adds. Gered always had a gift for creating interesting items out of the simplest things, but the lack of trees in the desert was a challenge. “As soon as I got to Missouri, I went to work. We were both totally immersed in chainsaw sculpting.” One of the first pieces of art he came up with was a bear. “It was pretty cheesy,” he says. A friend from Louisville bought it, then entered it in an art fair. It won a prize. “I was inspired. That’s when we got our first order. A hippo.” Sonya and Gered saw a real possibility here for a business. People were impressed by their art. But their future potential didn’t lie in “pieces”…small carvings you could put in a bag and take home. No, it lay in larger carvings, the kind that require a chainsaw. Black Heart Wood Carvings was born, with an emphasis on chainsaw sculptures created mainly on-site. Gered says, “That’s usually a rougher art. Some can whip out a bear in twenty minutes. But I can’t do that. We have high detail sculptures. We lean towards realism, with real textures and proportions.” This requires more time, an assortment of tools, and an innate ability to create what you see in your mind. That’s what they are able to accomplish as a husband-wife team. Gered handles the larger saws, Sonya the smaller ones. Either way, it’s physically taxing work. Some of the other tools they use are die grinder angle grinder, Dremel tool, and chisels. I saw them and have no idea how to describe them or their usage. “We’re our own toughest critics, and are extremely honest with each other,” she says. Gered agrees. They push each other and continue to improve. “Sometimes you get frustrated,” he says, “and want to quit.” But their partner says

ABOVE

BATTLE CROSS The Battle Cross is one of our most humbling and emotional designs. They are life-size tributes to service members lost on the battlefield. Each one is carved out of cedar, with roughly 100 hours of hand carving to ensure the most accurate portrayal possible. From the knots in the laces, rivets in the boots, to the texture on the grips of the rifle and the stitching on the helmet cover, we consider every detail. We’ve lost a number of friends on the battlefield, and then lost even more after they came home to their own battles. This is our way to provide a lasting tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

ABOVE NATIVE AMERICAN WAR-

RIOR Standing 7-foot tall, the Native American Warrior is at a private residence in downtown St. Louis. It was sculpted from a single sweet gum tree taken from the client’s property due to disease. Rather than discarding the wood, the client chose to extend its life by turning it into a work of art. The entire process, from start to finish, took roughly fourteen weeks.

BELOW

TURKEY Digging out a full-size turkey from a log made us put on our thinking caps. How to “find” a turkey in the log. After much consideration, it took just a bit of time to dig him out. This turkey is near New Haven, MO, and was sculpted out of a single oak log. He stands roughly 3-feet tall and can be seen showing off his full fan of hand-carved tail feathers.

“Not yet. You’re not finished.” How do they work? “Lots of coffee,” said Sonya. “We have so many coffee cups. We buy our well-loved coffee cups from Loving Hearts Outreach’s thrift store here in Washington because we break so many. This is where coffee cups come to die,” she adds with a smile. The money raised at the thrift store helps support Loving Hearts Outreach’s food pantry, the largest food pantry in Franklin county. “Our family, boys included, volunteer at their food pantry when they need an extra hand or need minor repairs done - it’s an amazing local non-profit.” Now about that name. Black Heart. The explanation is meaningful and touching, revealing a lot about them. It began with Gered in Iraq. He, like so many others, was deeply touched by many experiences. That’s as far as he would take it. But he wanted to pay tribute to fallen friends and comrades. He couldn’t get them out of his mind. So, he came up with the concept of Battle Crosses: helmet, boots, rifle and bayonet, carved from cedar. The symbol began in WWI as a tribute. Black Heart was named for his unit, the 101st Air Assault Division, the 1/502nd Brigade. The design shows the unique bond between veterans and the community that proudly stands behind them. Obviously, this carries more meaning than a carving. It is a lasting tribute to those who have fallen and those left behind. The complete story is on their website, BlackHeartsChainsawArt. com. This project is very close to their hearts and requires much time and energy. I asked them about the wood they used, assuming they sourced trees in the area as needed, regardless of condition. Sonya explained, “We rely on the local community and connections with local tree services. When they stumble on a section of wood being taken down that they know we could use, they call us. Our goal is to give life back to discarded timber. We have turned down commissions that would require us to carve into a healthy tree.” She emphasizes that their goal is to extend the life of timber that traditionally would go to waste. “What better way to do that than through art?” A typical carving day can run anywhere from 3 or 4 hours, sometimes as long as sixteen hours. Occasionally, when things are going smoothly, they might work into the night. It’s a creative process. Their favorite wood is catalpa, which is hard to find in Missouri. Usually they work with oak, maple, elm, cedar or sweet gum. The final process, once the carving and coloring desired are complete, is to apply several coats of finishing oil, plus UV protection. The Vinyards are more than sculptors. They are keepers of the creative flame who honor all they come in contact with - clients, veterans, nature. If you’d like to see a full range of their completed wood sculptures, plus more information on how to contact them, visit their website: www.BlackHeartChainsawArt.com.