OkotoksOnline/Harrison O'Nyons
The latest tree carving in High River's George Lane Park is nearly complete.
Artist Darren Jones was selected for the project, located at the park's Group Campground B.
The piece features several images carved into a poplar tree trunk, with foxes and an owl on one side and a fairy castle on the other.
A sunflower crowns the sculpture, with two woodland sprites perched on top.
"95 per cent of it is chainsaw, a variety of different size chainsaw blades. For the detailing, it's a die grinder and dremel and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand, and sand," laughed Jones.
It can be physically taxing, but Jones just sees it as a good workout.
"This encompasses every part of your body. But you know what? Whenever I wake up in the morning and I'm a little sore, I know I had a good day the day before, right?"
The initial carving process leaves much of the exposed wood with a furry texture, which will be sanded down once it's dried.
OkotoksOnline/Harrison O'Nyons
He expects the sculpture will be finished early this week, with staining and colouring being the final step.
"I'm going to paint stain into it. A minwax stain, which is just a wood stain," said Jones. "Then I'm going to put a wood sealant on top of that, which shows my airbrush work through it. There is going to be some, some deck stain incorporated to bring out the little different colors and different characters. Like my owl will be the same color as a gray owl, the foxes will be painted, so will the little forest spirits, and the sunflower. It's just little details, but 75 per cent of it will still be the natural wood."
Jones has been producing art for over 30 years, including wood sculpture and painting on canvas.
His work can be seen on his CabStudio Facebook page.