Barney Boller

Barney wasn't always carving, in fact, he only picked up this medium quite recently. Here's the story:

This journey started back in 1993. After graduating from Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, New York with a degree in metal engineering, I was seemingly on a pathway toward a career in metal fabrication. However, my path soon turned towards a different sort of metal fabrication, sculpting "one of a kind" birds, fish, and other wildlife out of stainless steel. Due to increased demand, I soon was moving into the realm of limited edition bronze castings for the majority of my work. As the years flew by, I found myself amongst an elite group of wildlife sculptors, winning world wide accolades and awards and headlining in top art shows and galleries in Scotland, England, Europe & the U.S.A. 

In 2003, things took a sudden turn when my 73 year old dad was faced with an aggressive, terminal cancer. I chose to quit, and spend the last six months of my dad's life at his side.

Fast forward to 2020, or thereabouts. I had moved up to the Adirondacks in 2015, and was working as camp director in the town of Ohio, NY. After some encouragement from my wife, I tried my first chainsaw carving, a big bear, and was surprised -all things considered- how well it turned out. Over the next year, I carved a few more wood spirits and other smaller critters, but was not really very serious about it. In April of 2022 I began carving in earnest, trying to build up a big enough body of work to show at a local show, "Woodsmen's Field Days" in Boonville, New York. It turned out to be a smashing success. The encouragement I received was overwhelming, and I was soon producing top quality chainsaw carvings and detailed wildlife sculptures!

... and the rest is history.