TALL, BEARDED wizards, up to 9 feet tall, and bears, alligators, and frogs -- sculpted from tree trunks -- fill Randy Arrington's remote woodland studio near Alesia.
Arrington, 38, wielded a chain saw for 17 years as a supervisor of tree-trimming crews for a landscape company. Then he became intrigued by the work of his friend, Gary White, a folk artist whose chief tool is the chain saw.
White, who moved from Westminster to Virginia a few months ago, carved a life-size Indian chief on Arrington's front porch from a tree trunk about 3 feet in diameter.
Under the chief's gaze, Arrington has kept chain saw sculpture alive in North Carroll.
Arrington was an accomplished carver of small figures in wood and antler when he turned to chain saw art.
The speed of the powerful saw, the larger-than-life scale and the robust transformation of trees into garden ornaments hold a great fascination for him.
More than 1,000 of his creations have become planted in flower beds and on lawns along the East Coast.
Arrington became so serious about carving that his employer granted him a four-month sabbatical in the spring to experiment and published photos of his work in the company magazine. He has since left tree trimming for full-time carving.
"Tree trimming physically wears on you," he said. "I had to find something easier to do. There's no stress, you don't worry about the day or time. You just get the work done."
His most popular statue is the wizard, the tall, willowy type with a pointed hat pulled over the brow of an apple-cheeked old man, his beard flowing down to cover his feet.
Before Christmas, he'll also have turned out more than 500 Santas, snowmen and such.
This work inspires him.
He's sometimes operating a chain saw at 2 a.m. He starts by trimming bark from paulownia wood he gets from a mill. The soft wood permits fine cuts by an array of 10 blades on other chain saws. Fine tuning is by chisel.
His wife, Linda, also has an artistic bent.
She applies paint and stain to the sculptures. The wizard's beards become white, and the frogs are painted green. The sculptures are rustic, intended for minimal upkeep.
Her artwork delves into her Cherokee past.
She creates dream catchers, an open web of knotted cord stretched between bent twigs or horseshoes. Linda and Randy travel together, displaying their art. They usually donate a work or two to fire department and church crafts shows.
Both credit something mystical in the forest to their good fortune. Those feelings gave them the name for their hobby/business -- Woodspirits & Things. (Local garden centers carry the sculptures, by the way.)
"When you're walking through woods, and think you've seen something out of the corner of your eye, that's a wood spirit," Randy said.
Information: 410-374-4946.
Gallery reception
Folk art themes painted on wood in a primitive, yet sophisticated style will be featured next month at the Hanover Area Arts Guild Gallery, 32 Carlisle St., Hanover, Pa.
A reception to meet artists Jane West and Deb Ruths will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the gallery.
West and Ruths, who are sisters, have named their new Hanover studio Hold Fast. In their work, they turn possessions such as furniture or textiles into objects of art.
Information: 717-630-2131.
Pat Brodowski's North neighborhood column appears each Wednesday in the Carroll County edition of The Sun.
Pub Date: 7/30/97
