Sacred sculptures

Artist's vision turns log into image of Christ

Divine inspiration sends some people to their computers, others to their instruments or paint brushes.

Ken Cushman of Kalispell revs up his Husqvarna 141 with a 16-inch bar. When the sawdust settles, a hunk of Douglas fir has become a celestial vision of Jesus.

"Whenever inspiration hits me, I go out and do it," Cushman said.

He considers himself a novice chain saw artist but the parishioners at Calvary Lutheran Church say his latest Jesus with a cross and crown of thorns takes their breath away. The waist up sculpture sits in the vestibule while two others inhabit the church sanctuary.

His sacred sculptures began with the gift of a log from a friend who cut down the tree due to a pest infestation. Cushman said inspiration came as he was contemplating what to do with the huge chunk of Douglas fir.

"Then it hit me - God has blessed me in a lot of ways," he said. "I should glorify him to thank him for the ability he has given me."

Cushman said he developed an interest in art at an early age growing up in Connecticut. He enjoyed art in school but never took any professional training.

"Ever since I was a kid, I whittled a few things here and there," he said. "I also paint saw blades."

Following his sister's footsteps west, Cushman moved here when he was 29. He first worked at a lumber mill then part time as a custodian for the Kalispell School District.

He now works for Expert Tree.

"It's a great job," Cushman said.

Cushman became a member of the Calvary Lutheran Church almost by coincidence. He was doing some banking at Glacier Bank across the street when he noticed the church.

He was looking to join a congregation at the time so he thought he would give that one a try.

"I really liked it - the people are really nice," he said. "Whenever I have a problem, I talk to Pastor (Kurt) Rau."

Cushman began chain saw carving in 2004 when he was clearing some trees. His landlord asked if he could carve a bear from some of the wood.

He fired up his saw and artistic eye with laudable results.

"Then my landlady asked for a morel mushroom so I made one of those," he said.

Cushman was hooked and kept honing his carving skills.

He continued in the bear genre until his renderings became more realistic. He said that bears actually have human characteristics and it's easy to end up with a cartoonish, out-of-proportion figure.

As the storm of shavings settle, bears, eagles and the odd coyote continue to step artfully out of his logs.

The artist said he never knows exactly where a piece will go once he gets started. His initial inspiration sometimes moves in surprising directions.

"I may go to carve a bear and end up with a wolf," he said with a laugh.

A self-taught carver, Cushman said he is his own worst critic. He recalled the time he worked on a bear for his neighbor, but didn't like the final product.

He wanted to throw it out but the neighbor liked it enough to display it outside his house.

"Then someone stole it," Cushman said. "I guess that's a compliment that they liked it enough to steal it."

The carver sometimes uses a photo for reference although he doesn't draw his vision before he starts. He said he tried drawing on the log but it works better for him to just carve on a blank slate.

That's how he began his three Jesus sculptures. With his safety glasses and ear plugs in place, Cushman followed his first vision of the son of God with his hands uplifted toward the heavens, and then his second of Jesus praying.

The rough carving takes him three to four hours. Then he begins the fine cutting and sanding.

Faces take a lot of concentration when carving with a powerful saw.

"You've got to be careful not to take too much off the nose or cheek bones," he said. "It's a slow, long process."

With the cutting complete, Cushman may burn the surface to provide authentic shading or coloration as in his third sculpture. He burnished the wood to suggest sweat, blood and dirt as Jesus labored with the cross.

Cushman surprised the pastor and congregation by gifting each completed Jesus sculpture to the church. He was pleased by the reaction.

"They thought it was very inspirational," he said. "I'm happy I did them and that they were nice enough to put them in here (the church)."

The artist said these works evolved from both his Christian beliefs as well as his gratitude to God's intercession in times of trouble.

"Faith is a big part of my life," he said. "It's helped me through some tough times."

Cushman hopes to someday make his living by sculpting. He said he has sold some pieces and had quite a few offers for a deer and bull trout that he carved for his 7-year-old daughter Renee.

The deer has a particularly endearing expression, straight from a loving father's heart.

"Everyone wants to buy the deer," he said with a smile. "But I tell them it's for my daughter."

He counts spending time with Renee and fishing as the only activities he enjoys as much as carving. Limiting his interests helps him focus on sharpening his skills.

Cushman said he would love to work with a mentor master carver as well as hang out with other artists.

"I want to do more with this … get a good reputation," he said.

"I'd like to do something so nice that you could put it in a gallery."

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by e-mail at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.