Chainsaw carving artist decorates streets of Estevan

If you’ve walked around Estevan, you may have seen a few wooden sculptures and murals that give the streets a bit of flair.  The man responsible for that is Darren Jones, an artist and chainsaw sculptor for nearly twenty years.

Jones said he’s currently on a “sculpting tour”, going to different parts of the prairies to use his skills carving pieces of wood into art, murals, and sculptures – and he recently stopped in Estevan.

“I expect to be here about three weeks and I’m down here essentially to finish my returning soldier’s sculpture that I started last fall,” said Jones. “I have three other contracts around town and I’m just going to carve some of this beautiful poplar down here.”

Jones has been carving sculptures in Estevan for a while.  Perhaps his most recognizable sculpture is the Estevan Soldiers Tree, which can be seen along 4th street.  For that sculpture, he received a key to the city.

“That was one of the greatest honors I’ve ever had. It showed the appreciation for my work,” said Jones.”I did it because of a story my buddy Lester told me about his dad’s experience in World War 2 and the emotion he put forward was just ripe for an artist’s inspiration. I never expected a key to the city.”

One of the best parts of sculpting wood, according to Jones, is to see the reactions that he gets from clients.

“Whenever I work for a client I look at what my client wants in their yard – it’s not what I want. They give me the idea, I see the passion and reason they want it and I try to put that in the tree for them,” said Jones.

“It’s so satisfying whenever you have a client – after you’re done they’re hugging you or there’s a tear in their eye and you’ve given them something that gives them both history and something that is theirs that you can’t get anywhere else.”

Jones said that he considers Estevan and the surrounding area beautiful, and he called the city “a home”.

-by Discover Estevan’s Scott Boulton