Jeremy Smith’s eagle stands as a highway landmark.
A chainsaw is a paintbrush and logs are the canvas for one local artist who has taken his talents to television in the past, and now has come up with a genuine new landmark one has to see on Highway 101 outside of Aragon.
Jeremy Smith — the same artist who used a chainsaw to carve the Cherokee faces at Big Spring Park in Cedartown — recently completed a large bald eagle using multiple parts and includes a fun surprise. The eagle’s head can move. Smith, who began working out of Allstar Tree Service off Highway 101 north of Aragon in February, found a pile of chainsaw bars and thought about how when they were spread out on the ground, they resembled wings.
It was only a few leaps from there for his idea of wings to become the bald eagle that can now be seen at Allstar along with other works today.
When he brought together the wings, the body and feet, and then the head, he decided it would be cool if it was big enough to ride.
He was able to use segments and wire to make the head move, which can be seen in the video online at Polkstandardjournal.com.
Smith said he would like to sell the eagle, but that likely it would have to go to someone who had the means to buy and move the heavy wood carving.
For now, he hopes it becomes a new landmark in Polk County.
“I have a lot of other things that people will like too,” Smith said.
Since he began chainsaw carving art several years ago, Smith said he feels his work has continuously improved. He has a variety of items for sale on his website otherlevelsculptures.com, and shows off his work in progress a lot of the time on his Facebook as well.
However, his name really got attention during Halloween 2016, when he placed as a finalist on the Food Network’s Halloween Wars with his pumpkin designs.
Smith also took part in Chaptacular Chainsaw Carving Bash, a charity event held in November. More than 80 chainsaw carvers descended on a sleepy little town outside of Macon and raised $150,000 for cystic fibrosis research.
“This thing started (and is still held) in this guy’s backyard, and a bunch of sweaty dust monkey saw jockeys corralled that much money,” he said. “I don’t know why this event isn’t more famous yet to be honest.”