Wisconsin Life

Grizz Works in Maple brings logs to life with chainsaw carvings

[Chainsaw revs]

[Hard rock music]

Angela Fitzgerald: Justin Howland is a world-class chainsaw artist and the creative force behind Grizz Works.

Justin Howland: We carved competitively, you know, and we would start getting good and we traveled around the country. We carved at a world level for a while.

Angela Fitzgerald: Armed with nothing but a roaring chainsaw and a sculptor’s vision, Justin breathes life into raw wood, transforming forgotten logs into wildlife masterpieces.

Justin Howland: You can visualize it, and with the chainsaw, you can get rid of all the wood and find it inside of there. I’m looking at his ear and making sure they’re balanced. Find where his eyes are, and I cut those out, and then I shape his nose.

Angela Fitzgerald: Justin first started to hone his artistic skills at an early age. His dedication and natural ability set him apart.

Justin Howland: Want me to sketch you a bear real quick?

Angela Fitzgerald: In high school, he was an award-winning pencil artist.

Justin Howland: So, this is what I’m seeing when I’m carving. I wanted to be a professional artist, but after high school, I didn’t really have the means to achieve that. And when I found chainsaw carving, I thought, “This might be my chance to be a professional artist.” I was comfortable with the chainsaw and I had some artistic ability. I just kind of put two and two together.

Angela Fitzgerald: Without any formal training, Justin set out to carve his first bear.

Justin Howland: I carved that whole six-foot bear over the course of about three days. It wasn’t as great as what I envisioned. [laughs] To me, it looked like a guy in a Mickey Mouse suit.

Angela Fitzgerald: Within a few years, Justin perfected his craft.

Justin Howland: I wanted to do it so bad and I wanted to be good at it. And then, I figured that we were onto something. We had, I think, 60-some people waiting for a carving.

Angela Fitzgerald: Justin left his concrete finishing job and cemented his future.

Justin Howland: I think I’m gonna stay home and try this chainsaw carving for a while. They kind of laughed at me.

Angela Fitzgerald: His world now revolves around the hum of a saw and the soul of the wood.

Justin Howland: They thought I was crazy to try to be an artist for a living, but… [laughs] It’s, yeah, I don’t know, it’s working.

Angela Fitzgerald: For more than 26 years, Justin has created thousands of carvings. The piles of sawdust and wood scraps are testament to his art.

Justin Howland: We’ve got stuff all over the country, all over the world really. We carved one last year that was 24 and a half feet tall. It’s a wildlife collage. I like working on the really big ones ’cause I have a lot of big logs to work with and I really enjoy the end product that has a presence. We do a lot of, like, 36-inch wide by 10-foot tall grizzly bears and stuff like that.

Angela Fitzgerald: This hand-forged art also caught the attention of the hit TV show Extreme Makeover.

Justin Howland: They asked us if we would do a carving for the show. A firefighter with the full gear and the mask. He had a baby that was wrapped in a blanket. We’ve done gun fighters and warriors and gladiators.

Angela Fitzgerald: The gladiator is his most cherished, built hand in hand with his brother.

Justin Howland: It was, like, six and a half feet tall, but then we carved cedar armor for it. He had steel weapons that were made out of farm implements. That was probably my favorite project.

Angela Fitzgerald: Hidden from the highway’s steady rush, Justin’s secluded outdoor gallery unveils a collection of handcrafted art.

Justin Howland: People will stop and they’ll say, “We didn’t know there was all this stuff here.” It is our private property. We want people to enjoy it.

Angela Fitzgerald: For Justin, carving is no longer just a pastime. He is a true artisan of the Northwoods.

Justin Howland: I still enjoy it, especially when you’re gonna get into a really big piece of wood and you’ve got to use a really big saw to get the big pieces off right away. To be an artist every day is what motivates me.

[Bright music]