When Christ Lantz was young, he remembered a man who told his father and his uncles that God told him to teach them how to create wood sculptures with a chainsaw. Lantz grew up watching his father and his uncles at work, but it took nineteen years of watching before he decided he wanted to give chainsaw sculpting a try. He learned from his cousin, Mike McCormick, in Florida. He was mentored by Brian Ruth, owner of Master of the Chainsaw and chainsaw carving performer at fairs and events. And with what Lantz sees is a God-given gift, Lantz has become one of the best in the United States and overseas.
Lantz works on large cut sections of trees, mostly white pines. Usually he starts with an idea of what he wants the sculpture to be, but he’s learned that often the product is determined by the tree itself. The most important skill he’s learned so far is “to not take away too much of the wood when first cutting.” Lantz explains that taking away too much means he’d spend the rest of the sculpting process trying to fix his earlier mistakes. He’s also found that, once he’s carving, he may have to improvise on what he’s doing and even what the end product will be because of the internal quality of the wood and natural flaws found in it.
Most of the pieces Lantz creates now are custom orders. He’s done a variety of birds, fish, bears, and wolves, as well as benches and signs. Possibly his favorite subject at this time are wolves because they’re a complex animal to sculpt and most chainsaw sculptors don’t to them. Lantz usually adds something extra to his sculptures to make them unique and interesting. For example, some of his bears are sculpted as a part of the original log, so it looks like the bears are emerging from the wood. Lantz adds extra details like paws protruding from the wooden log to make the bears come alive.
Under Ruth’s guidance, Lantz learned to be a chainsaw performer. He says, “In fairs and other local events, I’ll have an hour to create something from start to finish while an audience watches. It’s a skill that takes time, practice, and focus to pull off.”
Lantz has honed that skill over time and often competes in events.
Lantz and his wife Courtney operate Extreme Sculpting together and, as often as possible, the couple and their two children travel together to support Lantz’s talent. Delivering custom orders have taken them as far north as Pennsylvania. As they travel, Lantz competes in chainsaw carving competitions in different areas of the U.S.
This year, he’ll be competing on April 30th through May 2nd at the 2021 Arkansas Chainsaw Carving Competition in Russellville, Arkansas, against a world champion in the event. The event has three days of completion. In the first competition, the People’s Choice, carvers present work they’ve created at home. The winner is chosen by the votes of people at the competition and online.
In the second competition, Carver’s Choice, chainsaw carvers are given the choice of what to sculpt. The carvers choose the best of the sculptures.
Finally, the third competition is the Pilot’s Choice, in which carvers will be given a theme, a log, and an hour to finish the sculptures.
If you would like to support Lantz’s work while he’s competing, go to his Facebook page Extreme Sculpting and “like” his page. He’ll be updating as he travels and competes and will provide information on how to vote online in support of his work.
Lantz surrendered his life to Christ in 2012. He gives the glory for his talent, his family, and his business to God. He says, “It is clear to me how God had a hand in every single thing I have been a part of.”
Enjoy watching Lantz in action through the video below:
