Eagles!

Eagle with salmon in Oak.

The chainsaw carving business is best described as "carve a bear, carve an eagle, carve a bear, carve a fish, carve a bear, carve an owl, carve a bear, ad nauseum."  Bears are the bread and butter of chainsaw carving but {fortunately} eagles are also popular.  :)  Whether it patriotism or nature lovers, a majestic "wings up" eagle will always sell quickly and other poses will sell eventually. The more unforgiving or tough your eagle appears, the sooner he will find a new home.

Eagle with ribbon in Sycamore.

One of the coolest things about carving eagles is their distinctive head/beak profile.  Because of this profile, the eagle head is easily recognized even when carved quite small.  So it's not just for chainsaw pieces!  The eagle head is a salable whether it be four times life-size or engraved on a piece of bone to be used as jewelry.  Carve them in bark, wood, bone or stone and you'll never regret the experience.

Double soaring eagle in Sycamore.

I find the most difficult thing about carving eagles is to capture that 'ferocity' we associate with a flying predator.  Even in photos of eagles feeding their chicks, they look like something to be given plenty of space.

How is 'ferocity' captured in a carving?  I wish I knew :(  I believe it comes from setting the eye back under the  brow and sloping the head toward the beak.  Executing it tends to be 'hit and miss' in my case.  However, my mildly stylized eagles tend to have more of that ferocious attitude than do my attempts at realism.

Eagle head in Cottonwood Bark.

If you are working on improving your eagle carving skills, I recommend practicing in a softer medium.  Cottonwood bark or even soap, clay, wax, etc allow us to carve quickly which allows more time for self-critique, analyzing shortcomings, and moving on to the next eagle...