Meet the wrestler-turned-chainsaw artist whose been carving out magic for nearly 40 years

AVON, Minn. — The average chainsaw artist lasts about three to five years in the business. Yeah, we found stats on that. That's because it can be a grueling and dangerous occupation.

But an Avon man has created intricate sculptures for 37 years, and counting. 

It was good, old-fashioned farm work that gave Mark Kurtz his strength. It was junior high industrial arts class that gave him his confidence. That's when he first carved a fish out of wood.

"I got an A- on my first fish, and I was like that can't happen, because I don't get As," Kurtz said.

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The A- created a chain reaction, so to speak. Kurtz also realized he was pretty good with a power tool in his hands. He began small and worked his way up to bigger pieces — carving eagles, bears, and wildlife of all shapes and sizes. Plus, sailors, golfers, and other unique sculptures.

"I'll take you back to a question my mother asked me: 'How long are you gonna do this?' She says to me 10 years ago. 'That's hard work.' I says, 'Mom, if I can do it when I'm 85, I'm still gonna do it,'" he said.

Throughout the area, he's known simply as the Chainsaw Man —a nickname that has multiple meanings. In the 1990s, Kurtz was the Chainsaw Man in the American Wrestling Association. His dream was to have a pro career, but he never quite got there.

"I wasn't big enough and I wasn't freaky enough," he said. "You have to have this size, and I was 30 pounds lighter than I am right now."

So, he went from grappling with his opponents to grappling with pine and maple. His favorite sculptures are eagles because of their free spirit, and because they often represent military veterans like Sheldon Lang.   

"He carved some beautiful, beautiful eagles for me," Lang said.

Lang liked Kurtz's work so much that when his church tasked him with finding a sculpture of Jesus, he knew who to turn to. Kurtz went right to work. 

"He kept asking me, 'What do you think about this? What do you think about that?' And after a number of times I said, 'You got it,'" Lang said.

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The attention to detail and the perfectionism can also be found in Kurtz's Native American pieces.

"That was a whole, different avenue that I had to go down with, and I worked with a lot of tribes," Kurtz said.

For all the noise and sound, there's serenity. Kurtz gets into a zone when he's creating a buzz. He makes up to 100 sculptures a year, and some are so big he needs to haul them away by trailer. And he's always willing to help amateurs who think they know what they're doing, but really don't. 

He can carve a piece in a day or two, and the end result is always buzzworthy. 

"The finished product is such a great reward. And then you stand back and look at it and say, 'I just made that. How did I just do that?'" he said.

Kurtz works with both hardwood and softwood, and most of it is recycled. He also donates eagle sculptures to a veterans home in Sauk Centre.