The story behind the bald eagles on Hwy 29

Sitting between the communities of Abbotsford, Athens and Edgar along Highway 29, Living in Harmony Art Studio and Biodiversity Reserve provides handcrafted art to those with a discerning eye for woodworking.

Drivers may notice an assortment of carvings on display as they whiz by, some on their daily commutes, others perhaps on longer journeys to Green Bay or Eau Claire.

Scott Bargender has seen many different people from every walk of life stop by his art studio situated on his 40-acre plot alongside the state highway, most of them drawn in by the large bald eagle carvings propped up in the back of a pick-up truck.

While he has a large variety of works for sale, the eagles, many of which stand between a foot-and-a-half to three feet tall, are his most popular. Hewn from logs with a chainsaw, these avian statues Bargender creates are as unique as the method used to create them.

Bargender has been working on his craft for about three decades, but his interest in woodworking goes back further than that.

“Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always been working with wood,” he said. “My great-grandfather was a carver, he carved some doors for a church in Germany and so I was always peddling with wood.”

While he had always had an interest in it, Bargender did not fully dive into carving until after taking a class on the subject.

“I went to a caricature carving class one time up in Boulder Junction and I stayed with a friend of mine that lived close by and every day I’d come back with a caricature carved a little more,” he said. “And one time he said, ‘you know, we should get out the chainsaw someday and do some carving.’ So we did, and he became a really good carver too.”

On top of his chainsaw carvings, Bargender has dabbled in many other artistic fields, from wildlife paintings and relief carvings to wooden furniture. While he still works on those types of projects as well, after seeing the response to his chainsaw carvings, he shifted his workload largely to meet the demand for the eagles and other wildlife.

The process to create a single carving is a lengthy one. Bargender will start with the chainsaw, working the general shape and blocking of the statue’s head, wings and feet from the log. Once he has created the basic features, he typically begins work on the larger feathers of the wings, using a lumber crayon to mark out cuts before he makes them, and then going to the tail feathers.

Once the general shaping is complete, Bargender will use an angle grinder and a multitool saw with different attachments to start fleshing out the details of the feathers and other aspects of the bird like the face and beak. Part of the creative process is finding new ways to do things, and one new step that Bargender has been experimenting with is using wooden buttons for the eyes to create a smoother effect than carving into the wood.

After a majority of the carving is complete, Bargender will prime the piece and let it dry for a day in a room with a dehumidifier. Once properly dry, he will move on to painting the piece, using two coats of water-based paint that will stand up to the elements when on display outside. He will sometimes use charcoal for dark highlights around the eyes and head and will use a clear coat to protect the coloring.

Finally, he will go back to the chainsaw for any final adjustments to the base of the carving, smoothing out the final product.

Overall, the entire process typically takes Bargender around 16 hours. It isn’t always easy, as sometimes things don’t necessarily go according to plan, especially on a new project.

“A lot of times, you think about it and you come up with an idea and, ‘that’s how I’m going to do it,’” he said. “But a lot of times you wake up in the morning and you’re like ‘this is what I feel like doing’ or if you are not into it, this flow, so if you force yourself sometimes it doesn’t happen.”

Being able to make adjustments is part of the job and seeing the finished project is probably the most rewarding aspect of his job, he noted.

Many times, people who swing by the studio will purchase what work Bargender has on hand, but he will make custom pieces for those who are interested as well. On top of his work at his studio, he also does carving demonstrations and workshops in the area, including the Art in the Park event in Wausau. Passing on what he has learned and sharing the process interests Bargender, so on top of the demos and workshops, he is always willing to offer lessons for anyone interested in learning how to carve.

Bargender’s pieces and his work in the local art community recently earned him the 2024 Artist of the Year Award from the Wisconsin Valley Art Association. When recalling the recognition, Bargender remembers being surprised and honored.

“They did the little prizes at the spring banquet and they said ‘now it’s time for the Artist of the Year Award.’ And she started explaining this person and, after five minutes or so I thought to myself, ‘Now wait a minute, that’s me,’” he explained with a laugh.

While recognition for his work and creating art for other people to enjoy is fulfilling in its own ways, Bargender noted that his true passion lies in the other half of what he hopes his business can offer people. He also works on spreading his knowledge on ways to minimize our impact on the environment, offering his services as a renewable energy and sustainable living consultant.

“I've been to the Energy Fair a lot and learned a lot about renewable energy and sustainable energy,” Bargender said. “That’s my true belief. If people would put solar on their roofs, we wouldn’t need these big solar farms. And there are people who refuse to believe that solar works.”

He has kept the fields he rents out on his 40 acres organic and has other projects focused on biodiversity in the forests on his land. His foray into apiculture, or beekeeping, is his most recent project, though he would like to see it expand by working with community-supported agriculture, or CSA, farmers in the future.

For anyone looking for unique, handmade chainsaw carvings, conversations on sustainable living or a little bit of both, Bargender’s Living in Harmony Art Studio and Biodiversity Reserve is a local opportunity for both. He is available either by appointment or by chance at his studio on 115941 STH 29, Edgar.