If you don’t know the name Griffon Ramsey, you probably should.
The American artist, 39, is one of the few women performing chainsaw art and wants to encourage more females to start practising the art form.
Her quirky pieces sell for up to $10,000 (£7,554) and she creates pieces for the likes of Stranger Things and Nickelodeon.
Her edgy and bold style has seen her dubbed as the ‘rock star of the art world’ and it’s not without merit. Griffon has carved one famous woodland creature you might recognise.
Guardian of the Galaxy’s loveable tree-like being Groot was immortalised in Griffon’s work.
The video where she creates the iconic character amassed 115,000 views in just three days and Griffon has had more than four million views on her YouTube channel.
She’s pretty badass.
Griffon has been crafting her skill for the last eight years and even took up ice carving two years ago.
She adds that there’s both pros and cons of working in a largely male-dominated industry.
‘Being a female in a male-dominated world is a strange juxtaposition of opportunities and pitfalls,’ she tells Metro.co.uk.
‘There are very few of us, and we stand out. Even men who use chainsaws for work would be considered extra macho. As women, we’re complete badasses.
‘I just know that despite it all, we are doing the same amount of work for as many hours and typically with less upper body strength.’
For the most part, though, it’s a lot of fun and Griffon’s family members are also fans of the woodwork.
‘Chainsaw sculpting has added so much radiance to my life,’ she adds.
‘I’ve been amazed at the places it’s taken me, and the people I’ve met through the artform.
‘I’m part of an international family of incredibly gifted, self-sufficient people covered in sawdust. Every year brings exciting new adventures, as well as cathartic, satisfying work life.’
One of her favourite aspects is all the travelling she’s been able to do, exploring the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan.
This week she’s in London, performing a live exhibition at the Buffalo Trace Distillery, where the public has been able to watch as she creates a unique work of art over the course of 30 hours.
Griffon adds that each artwork is a piece of herself and that she pushes herself in each one.
‘I look forward to carving and leaving a little of myself on every continent on the planet.
‘Although I’m most proud of the large scale, public works I’ve had the good fortune to create in the past, my favourite project is always what is coming next.
‘If we don’t rest on our laurels, every piece is an improvement on the next.’
You can catch the exhibition until 16 December at the StolenSpace Gallery in Shoreditch.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/15/badass-female-wood-carving-artist-creates-pieces-for-stranger-things-and-nickelodeon-11909482/
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