Indiana Carvings Founder Brings Wood to Life With Bold, Custom Creations
Indiana Carvings founder Chaz Chiafos discovered his natural-born talent for wood carving during an evening kickback with a friend in 2019.
“Just hanging out with a buddy one night,” he says. “I had literally never thought about chainsaw art before and the night was winding down. It was probably midnight. We saw a picture of a chainsaw art eagle and decided that night we would try chainsaw art. We pulled in a couple logs with a mini excavator and we just started carving until 4 o’clock that morning.”
After a year of self-taught experimentation, Chiafos made his debut on the competitive scene.
“I began to branch out, go to competitions, figure out what kind of tools I would need ’cause I only had one chainsaw, a die grinder, and that was it,” he says. “I learned a lot by going to these competitions and shows and talking with a lot of other carvers.”
After tree companies dump logs in his field, Chiafos uses a skid loader to create stacks of logs that he selects from based on the height of his designs. Repetition and aptitude have turned him into a bona fide speed carver.
“I’m pretty fast. I can have a life-size perched eagle done in a couple of hours,” he says. “I can do a 6- to 8-foot soaring eagle — that’s detail on the front and the back, wings open, head and tail added on. I can do those from start to finish in a day.”
Shortly after launching an Indiana Carvings Facebook page, his follower base grew to 2,500 members. However, it was Gen Z’s short-form video platform where Chiafos found viral success.
“I started a TikTok,” he says. “In the first year, I got to 5,000 followers. Right about year one, I had a video just blow up. I got up to 60,000 followers, and then I’m close to 150,000 followers. I’m really not even into Facebook or TikTok, but definitely the social media has helped me spread and branch out.”
His TikTok page has garnered 1.8 million likes, helping Chiafos book on-site commissions in Indiana, Michigan, Montana, Arizona, Utah, California and New York.
“The first viral video was a 12-foot soaring eagle,” he says. “It had talons, the feet sticking out. It was pretty cool. I ended up taking that one out to Montana.”
Before his career as an artist, Chiafos owned a hardscape company installing outdoor kitchens, paver patios and retaining walls. Although his work involved some designing, he says his artistic experience was limited.
“People will be like, ‘Yeah but remember in high school, you would always draw.’ I would do my name in bubble letters and just make shadowing behind them,” he says. “It was pretty standard fourth grade, elementary, introductory-level stuff.”
Ditching a pencil for a chainsaw, Chiafos found his artistic niche in the form of white pine, oak and maple sculptures.
His portfolio includes an 8-foot-tall octopus with sprawling tentacles, fantastical dragons straight from the pages of a storybook, and a bear bench for Game Masters sporting goods store in Quincy, Illinois.
“I’ve turned into an eagle nut. I just love making eagles,” he says. “That’s my top number one.”
Chiafos eventually sold his hardscape company to focus on wood carving after a frightening medical discovery.
“The final decision was I went to the chiropractor and found out T1 through 5 were all fractured, just completely shattered,” he says. “That’s why I always had back problems. So after finding that out, I went into chainsaw art full time. That is way less wear and tear on the body.”
With half-down deposits, Chiafos’ commissions run the gamut from humble sea turtles to 20-foot-tall, 6-foot-wide behemoth masterworks.
“I travel anywhere and do anything,” he says. “I’ve done life-size motorcycles, half-scale Polaris Slingshots where you can open the door and sit in them, motorcycles with turning wheels,” he says. “So, it’s all extremely custom.”
His inspiration is simple.
“My children of course,” says the father of six. “If I don’t carve, we starve.”
Indiana Carvings is located in Monticello. You can call 574-870-1249 or message Chiafos online for a commission and free quote at facebook.com/indianacarvings.
