Bethesda, MD: October 2019
Chainsaw carving of 18 foot bear from a tree trunk on the Landon School property.
I got the note from Paul Walco in late September. He was back in the DMV creating a new tree carving out of a hickory trunk in Bethesda. He asked if I could take a few pictures.
Remember Paul Walco, he carved Travilah’s Eagle
This time a dead tree on the campus of the Landon School was the inspirational palette. He, along with nationally recognized chainsaw artist Kris Conner from Southwestern Virginia, took on the challenge. They would create the largest Kodiak Bear carving east of the Mississippi River. It’s 18 feet tall from the base to its ears.
Landon Bear
Armed with a conceptual architectural drawing, their instincts and dozens of STIHL chainsaws similar to those seen hanging in a GEICO Insurance horror commercial they began their work in mid October.
Unlike the past traffic jam he caused at the intersection of Travilah and Glen Roads, at Landon he caught the curiosity of walking students, parents, teachers and administrators alike. The location of this permanent Kodiak is tucked away in the back of the campus. So, Kris and Paul’s challenges were a bit different.
The noise of the chainsaws echoed across campus. At times the heavy work was halted and at other times it was filled with teaching classes to wondering students in shirts and ties. Parents would roll down their car windows following pickup dismal and shout out encouragement to Paul up on the scaffolding. Many a gigabytes of smartphone images were made.
Timing and location was such that a ride to Bethesda wasn’t just as easy as it was at Travilah.
But I got some great images of their skilled work as they finished the Landon Bear. See more of Paul’s work here
Photos to follow
All images copyrighted 2019 © Phil Fabrizio | PhotoLoaf® for MCM
