Todd Baker

 

Materials:  Wood
 Location:  Roe Blvd at 57th Street (#1 Map)

 

Ed the head

  The piece displayed by Todd Baker was created for the Roeland Park “Art in R Park” program. As with all of Baker’s carved heads, it is a reflection of what the artist is feeling on the inside when he’s creating the work. All the carving was done with Stihl chainsaws while the tree trunk was lying horizontal on the ground. There was no pre-defined plan for the sculpture. As such, there can be no mistakes, no misinterpretations. The resulting image is the patent expression of the passion of the artist and the nature of the material. The work evokes a different feeling in each person who views the art. There is no right or wrong. Just enjoy the art for what it is.  Baker’s own interpretation of his art is, “It makes me happy.”  

Bio

Todd Baker grew up in Hebron, Nebraska. The son of an art teacher mother and music teacher father, he was surrounded by creativity and drawn to artistic pursuits. He attended Fort Hays State University, and graduated in 1991 with a degree in Communications, with an emphasis in speech language pathology. He moved to Kansas City after graduation to pursue business opportunities. He started trimming trees as a side job, and started keeping some of the larger tree trunks that were just too beautiful to grind up and discard.

Baker carved his first head in the summer of 2000. He has always been intrigued by the human form, and drew a great deal of inspiration from the Easter Island heads. The first heads that he carved were for his own enjoyment as yard art at his Overland Park home. Soon, though, other people began requesting heads of their own. To date, he has carved over 100 large wooden heads, and they can be seen all around the Kansas City area. The heads range in size from about three feet tall to over eight feet tall. He is planning a new carving to be made from an oak tree trunk that weighs over 9,000 pounds. The heads are all carved with chainsaws, and are generally left untreated to develop a rich natural patina.  

Baker’s Overland Park-based business, Sunshine Tree Service, affords him ample opportunity to gather more raw materials for his art. Baker’s customers receive his personal attention to detail, whether trimming trees for aesthetics or to remove damaged limbs. In addition to the carved heads, he creates furniture and sawn lumber from trees. Some of the lumber is being used on the post-and-beam timber garage he’s currently building. Baker creates his art mostly for the enjoyment of others, but also to satisfy his desire to reuse and recycle materials whenever possible.