By Carly Nichols
As I look at the blank page before me, I wonder if this is how Myles Nasby feels when faced with an untouched piece of timber. As the owner of Nasby Chainsaw Art, he has the skills and talent to turn a plain tree stump into a work of art. With over 20 years of experience, Nasby is not the new kid on the block.
“My dad started carving when I was nine,” Nasby remembers. It inspired him to pick up a chainsaw when he was just 13 years old. He even sold his first sculpture that same year, recalling it was a 2-foot-tall black bear.
Though his dad has taught him many things about this art form through the years, he credits on-the-job training as his most significant learning experience. Traveling all over the country for competitions, Nasby has been able to score tips and gain knowledge about techniques from other carvers.
All the years of practice and competition have translated this skill into a full-time job. “It’s so fun. I’m incredibly blessed to do something I love and support my family with it”, he said. He’s even cultivated relationships with a few local tree-cutting companies who call him if they come across the type of wood he likes to use.
Besides the beauty of his completed pieces, what’s special about Nasby’s work is that each one is different. He explained that he might make two owls in a row, but they will never be identical. Although he usually focuses on nature and wildlife, he often does custom pieces. “I’ve done several dogs for people,” he said.
The best way to communicate your vision for a piece is to show him an inspirational photo or talk through what you want. He has a special knack for connecting what his customers are asking for with the wood he works with. Often, ideas will pop instantly into his mind, and he has been known to make sketches to help the patron see what their stump could be.
Much of his work is commissioned stump jobs where he comes to the client’s home to create a statue out of a stump in their yard. He works with stumps of all sizes and can carve almost any tree as long as it’s not too dead or rotten. Custom jobs like this vary in price due to size and wood type.
The timing of creating these unique statues can also vary. Individual sculptures he makes for his expo shows usually take a day or two to complete, whereas a custom job can take one to two weeks, depending on the size. He doesn’t tend to keep much inventory on hand simply because he cannot keep it in stock, often selling out at the events he attends.
Nasby doesn’t just sell his statues, though. He competes across the country throughout the year. In the last year, he has received two first place finishes and a second-place finish and was even chosen to receive the Kid’s Choice award at an event. Though all the awards are meaningful to him, it was obvious the Kid’s Choice award meant a little more, saying, “That was pretty cool.”
The spirit of these competitions inspired him to start the Jay County Chainsaw Carving Invitational & Vendor Fair, which was held in September. Nasby created and organized the event and donated the logs for its first year. The Jay County Tourism Bureau funded most of the event, and Fifer Services helped sponsor it by providing equipment to move the logs and clean up. Finally, Elevated Perspectives offered pictures and videos of the event. Nasby was pleased with the turnout and plans to make this an annual event.
If you want a custom piece or would like to be a sponsor for the 2025 Carving Invitational, you can reach Nasby at 812-447-6409 or find him on Facebook at Nasby Chainsaw Art. Make sure to visit his Facebook page to browse photos of his past work and keep up to date on events. You will probably get inspiration for a custom piece you didn’t even know you needed.
Carly Nichols is the marketing and communication coordinator at Jay County REMC
