Repost: Jules Verne Approved!

August 1, 2026 by Donna from One Beautiful Thing 3 Comments

11/8/19: American artist Jeffrey Samudosky uses a chainsaw (and finer woodworking tools) to carve huge single pieces of wood into amazing animals, sea creatures, and Native American motifs. Ethical wood salvage company Redwood Burl Inc. gave the artist a massive piece of coastal redwood which was logged more than 100 years ago. It took Samudosky six months to carve the 7′ x 11′ redwood into the larger-than-life octopus above. Some of his pieces have taken him years to complete, but he keeps at it until his carvings look like the image in his head.

Years ago, Samudosky had a serious snowboarding accident that left him temporarily paralyzed. Undaunted, once he was sufficiently recovered, the young man resumed the sport. It was during a snowboarding trip to Vermont that he first saw large-scale wood carvings, which inspired him to learn to make his own.

You can check out all of Jeff Samudosky’s amazing work on the JMS Wood Sculpture website, and on Instagram and Facebook.