Alaskan Chainsaw Sculpture, Alaskan Art & Woodcarving

Native Alaskan chainsaw sculptor Ralph Stover, “THE BEAR MAN”, has worked in some form of wood product all of his life. Logging, firewood cutting, building log cabins, and now carving virtually any tree or log, piece of driftwood, or even a limb from a tree into a beautiful, one of a kind, hand sculpted work of art!

The Bear Man, Ralph Stover says "What is most inspiring for me is to see a spruce tree that has been devastated by spruce bark beetles and rather than view it as simply a dying tree and let it rot, I see a way to ‘save’ it by transforming it into one or more pieces of artwork. I will see any of an endless variety of wildlife; a moose, bears, an otter, a whale, or salmon swimming upstream. Sometimes I will visualize a landmark such at the "Salty Dawg" lighthouse and saloon here in Homer, Alaska and carve it.

“There is no limit to what I can do with a chainsaw and a piece of wood” says The Bear Man, Ralph Stover. The Bear Man does not carve on only spruce. When he hears the thunderous roar of huge waves smashing into the beach a few hundred yards away all night long and the strong winds brought by a big storm, he can’t wait until the first light of dawn and for the tide to subside. While the rest of Homer cringes under the covers during the aftermath of this noisy chaos, The Bear Man jumps into his truck and combs the shoreline of Kachemak Bay for precious pieces of cedar. It’s okay to drive on most of the beaches of Homer, and the high tide line offers miles of new driftwood to the earliest riser.