SALISBURY — Trees and stumps are his canvases, and chainsaws are his tool to create art.

Woodcarving has been a part of Chris Scott Markey Jr.’s life since he was a child, and in time he picked up the chainsaw and began professionally doing chainsaw carving in 2022.

In October, Markey of Morganton completed a work of art at 1653 Wiltshire Road in Salisbury for Kevin and Janet Mienke, which he said was a “collaborative design,” as the couple and he worked together to come up with what they wanted. 

The couple, he said, started the process by “expressing their deep respect for their neighbors and community and a desire to commission artwork that reflects this. They also envisioned something that could incorporate their love of literature and fine wood craft.”

Kevin Mienke said they learned about Markey when Joe’s Tree Service was cutting a 100-foot tall oak tree down in their yard and Joe recommended Markey to the couple, hoping they could get him, “because he’s the best I’ve seen.”

Mienke said they got it cut down, and “we thought, we don’t want to lose this tree forever, so we got a hold of Chris Markey up in the mountains.”

He said Markey was a fantastic guy to work with and he came to their home and “had a vision for the tree that we couldn’t see, and he absolutely just nailed it.”

Markey said he listened to their suggestions as well as applied some of his own style and was “able to produce a one-of-a-kind relief sculpture that captures their vision and is elegant.”

A relief sculpture, he said, involves carving patterns and images into a flat surface and the removal of the material from around the image.

“Eventually, after you reduce enough of it,” Markey said, “you have basically your artwork.”

The sculpture, which he carved in this large white oak tree stump, is of an owl sitting on a stack of books, and he said the books that are featured in the artwork are inspired by books that are in their own collection.

Their home, Janet Mienke said, is a storybook Tudor style and “that’s kinda why we spawned the idea of books and the owl, and it’s just fun.”

Markey free handed this “beautiful owl sitting on a stack of books,” Kevin Mienke said, “and that is so fitting for us because we’re readers” choosing to cut off the television and read. This design fit the house, he said.

In making the decision to have the owl design, Markey said his “clients are all patrons of the arts. The people that commission my work often love trees and want to give them a second life.”

That was the case for the Mienkes as they wanted to hold on to some of the tree, which they did to honor the memory of the former homeowners, Dr. Bobby and Betty Lomax.

Kevin Mienke said they purchased the home from this “dear couple who was much admired in the Salisbury community.”

He said they made the yard look absolutely beautiful and took great care of the yard and tree and therefore wanted to honor them.

Carving trees and stumps onsite is something Markey said he routinely does and enjoys working with all kinds of wood, especially hardwood.

His interest in Scandinavian-style woodcarving began early and has practiced those techniques since childhood; however, growing up in the family business and being exposed to the craft of power carving, Markey said “the increased efficiency of using power tools in wood carving just seemed like the logical next step for professional wood carving, so I took up the chainsaw.”

He honed his skills by applying the same principles of manual wood carving to a chainsaw, he said, and has watched videos and read articles about the craft as well.

While he uses the power tools, Markey said it’s the use of carving knives and chisels that “bring a piece such as this into a higher level of fit and finish.”

Therefore, he said, using this combination of carving can take lots of time and is difficult to determine how long the process would take to complete one. Other factors could also include the weather, the type of wood and the budget.

Markey & Son Woodcraft and Carving is a family business, he said, and one that is focused on tradition and old-fashioned craftsmanship.

His father also works with wood, as he said he makes wood-carved signs, and Markey is teaching his son Roy about the craft of carving, thus passing this on to another generation. Roy was onsite at times watching the owl sculpture take shape.

As for how this particular design was selected, Markey said they wanted a sculpture that was “distinguished and solemn, something that contributes to the dignity of the community. I think we achieved this.”

Kevin Mienke said they “couldn’t be more pleased that we were able to save what we could of the tree.”

However, Janet Mienke noted, there is still more work that needs to be done on the tree, as it’s not proportional, and the top needs to be taken off.

When the tree service comes to top the tree, Kevin Mienke said they are going to have them leave that portion, and they anticipate contacting Markey to return and make a little bench from that piece to sit by the owl.

The artwork has attracted lots of attention from those passing by as he said there has “been a constant flow of people showing up in our driveway and just looking at it.”

Janet Mienke said people ask who did the work and ask her husband if he was the one who carved it and several have taken pictures of the owl sculpture.

The owl was a big hit at Halloween as Kevin Mienke said the children were more interested in it as they came up the driveway rather than the candy they came to get.

Remove featured image“The faces of the kids are the most fun,” he said.

Janet said they are taking suggestions on naming the owl and Kevin added that the little kids want to name it, and “we’re just having fun with that.”

For additional information about Markey and his woodcarving, visit the website at markeywoodcraft.com and the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/markeywoodcraft/.