Artist carves ‘Ol Sarge Aggie statue with chainsaw
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – A chainsaw wood carver and artist used her talents to create a statue of a well-known symbol at Texas A&M.
The artist, known as Chainsaw Della, carved a statue of the historical Texas A&M character, ‘Ol Sarge.
She carved the statue out of a dead cedar tree.
“I didn’t want him just standing straight, I felt like [his marching stance] was important to put in there, to bring out his personality as a drill Sergeant,” said Della Meredith. “He’s authoritative, but he’s also a fun character. I wanted that to come out through this piece.”
Meredith, also known as the Chainsaw Chick, is most well-known for her artwork made from discarded wood. Meredith said that she worked hard to showcase the character’s features and personality as best she could.
‘Ol Sarge is a character created by Pete Tumlinson to symbolize the upperclassmen of the Corps of Cadets, according to the Texas A&M Foundation website.
“It’s pretty complicated because you never really see his face from the front, you just see the side of his face,” said Meredith. “It’s pretty challenging to turn from the tree to turn it into that. It’s pretty challenging, especially his facial expression and everything. I just did my best.”
Meredith said her passion for chainsaw wood carving originated from her days as an art teacher.
“I stopped teaching and I wanted to go out and paint murals and make art,” she said. “I work out by the coast, so they have a lot of tikis and Pelicans and coastal type of carvings and I wanted to try it. I just got a bunch of tools and started trying. I ended up getting a chainsaw and just never put it down.”
For more information on Chainsaw Della, visit her website here.
