Artist sculpts with power

There’s a buzz on the street at the corner of Appleway and Girard, where Arthur Grant Jones is trying to carve out a living.

Two 9-foot tall red fir logs were hauled to the site, where Jones works on them with a chain saw, turning them into massive bears.

Jones and his partner, Charlette Lynn Martin, recently became homeless because of unforeseen circumstances.

For now, they stay with friends, family or wherever.

Jones, 47, has been carving for seven years and makes eagles, owls, fish, totem poles and bears. Once he even did an outhouse.

“I sell them or trade them as fast as I can carve them,” Jones said.

The bears eventually will be relocated to a customer’s property in Newman Lake.

His pieces sell by word-of-mouth, through friends, or through exposure like his current stint on the street corner.

“At least a couple of people stop by every hour,” Jones said. They ask questions and talk about commissioned pieces or trades.

The bears will remain on the corner until Tuesday.

If you miss Jones, you can stop into Art’s Corner Market at Appleway and Girard and leave a message for him.

Art Gemmrig has owned the store since 1988. He’s a friend of Jones’ and he’d be happy to pass the message on.

“He’s pretty good with that chain saw,” Gemmrig said.