Karen Garcia/Turnagain Times
Bird Creek woodcarver, Jordan Anderson, at work.
Bird Creek woodcarver, Jordan Anderson, at work.
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Karen Garcia/Turnagain Times Bird Creek woodcarver, Jordan Anderson, at work. |
By Karen Garcia
Turnagain Times Correspondent
With today’s recession, it’s not uncommon to find a recent high school graduate out of a job still living in their parents’ home or a recent college graduate wondering around unemployed with little to no idea of what they want to do with their lives.
And then there are the outliers like Bird Creek artist Jordan Anderson.
Anderson carves wood sculptures with chainsaws for a living—not exactly the typical vocation of twenty-something.
From charming one to two foot wooden bear statuettes to an impressive 14-foot painted whale sculpture, the 23-year-old Anderson carves a wide variety of Alaskan wildlife.
But of course, he has his favorites.
“I usually go on a lot of fishing trips in Alaska, so naturally I like to carve the whales and the seals and fish, and that’s kind of my forte,” he said at his outdoor working studio in Bird Creek. “I mainly stick to marine wildlife because that’s what I have always drawn and painted all my life.”
Anderson was raised in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, where he learned to wield a chainsaw from his father, Greg Anderson, who constructs log homes. His family moved to Alaska in 2005.
When he was 19, Anderson’s father engaged in a business exchange with a man who did chainsaw carvings of bears. This sparked an idea in Anderson’s head, and a few slices of the chainsaw later; he had constructed a 14-foot Orca whale out of a piece of Alaskan Yellow Cedar.
Four years later, Anderson now sells his beautiful carvings primarily out of Bird Creek, and while he specializes in marine wildlife, he also carves many bears to satiate the ursine obsession of Alaskan locals and tourists alike.
In fact, Anderson says, his first actual order was for a chainsaw bear carving. After that, requests for bears came pouring in, but he continued to carve and paint marine life on the side.
Anderson uses four main chainsaws for his bigger sculptures and several different angle grinders and finishing routers to refine the details on his whale and fish work.
“I usually like to finish the carvings with a natural-toned stain or a clear varnish because that brings out the color of the wood and it really captures the essence of Alaska, which is the part of the spruce, one of the most beautiful woods in the world,” he said.
While it may be his job, it is clear that woodcarving is also Anderson’s passion, as evidenced by his participation in carving competitions.
The first and only competition he has taken part in so far was held this year in Seldovia, Alaska, where he ended up taking People’s Choice Award and third place.
“It was a fun contest,” he said. “All the carvers in Alaska that I know, we’re all real good friends and we’re out for blood for about six hours during the day at those contests, but after that we’re all buddies and we love each other, too.”
Anderson is attending another competition in Soldotna in late July and also intends to head down to the Lower 48 in the winter to compete in additional contests.
The carving that won him the People’s Choice and third place at the Seldovia competition also happens to be Anderson’s next carving of the month. It is called “Flying Sea.”
“Flying Sea” features two humpback whales jumping back to back with a wave folding up underneath them along with a cormorant and seagull flying up on either side,” he said. Anderson said he named the work “Flying Sea” because of the seabirds, and because the fins of the whales are shaped like they are trying to fly out of the water as well.
“It turned out gorgeous,” he said. “It was one of the most beautiful pieces I think I’ve ever done.”
As far as pricing his carvings, Anderson mainly bases it on height, time, and the availability of wood. He charges approximately $100 a foot, but after four feet it depends on the detail and time he has put into the sculpture.
Smaller bears (one to two feet) range from $80-$150 depending if they have a custom sign, while three to four-foot bears range from $250-$500 depending on the extra detail or how smooth they are sanded. Big masterpieces can range from $1,500 up to $5,000.
Anderson says most of the year his business is 90 percent local and 10 percent tourist based, but during the summer months business splits between the locals and tourists.
Just from talking to him, it is clear that Anderson loves his job, something that, unfortunately, many people nowadays don’t have the luxury of experiencing.
“I think I want to carve for the rest of my life if I can,” he said, “as long as it supports me.”
Anderson’s outdoor gallery is located right off the Seward Highway at milepost 100 in Bird, about 18 miles south of Anchorage. Pictures of his work (including the aforementioned “Flying Sea”) can be viewed at his blog, alaskawoodcarving.com. Orders can be made at Anderson’s website: jordanscustom.com.