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If you’ve been to a fair or festival in Maine, you’ve likely watched chainsaw artist Greg Waters crafting sculptures from wood blocks. During the winter he is often hired to create giant ice sculptures at events and private functions.

On Tuesday afternoon, he and some of his artwork were basking in the afternoon sun while he worked on an owl from a piece of wood he got from one of his neighbors.

“My neighbor had some trees that he needed cut down and I offered to do it for him, and now I’m using it for my newest piece,” Waters said as he unpacked a new blowtorch he uses to help dry and give color to the pieces.

His rustic Lisbon Falls home, garage and gallery next door are filled with works of art in several mediums. He is not only a sculptor but an accomplished painter. His latest venture is working with acrylic paint and a router. In his gallery, he dusted off a colorful octopus inlaid on a bench.

In addition to sculpting pieces at his home, Waters is often hired by business owners and homeowners to create a piece of art from a stump or trunk on location.

“It usually takes about three days on a job like that,” he said. “The first day is spent doing the initial deep carving and shaping. The second is the detail work and cleanup. I don’t leave sawdust or any shavings lying around. The third day I spend painting and finishing the piece. I often go back a year or two later to fill in cracks and do some touch up after the wood naturally splits as it dries.”

Waters — whose theme is “Carving stories into wood, shaping dreams into reality!” — is proud of his pieces and is willing to make sure they look good long after they’re made and sold.

“I don’t charge anyone who has bought a piece from me if they bring it back after it dries and splits. I fill in the gaps, sand it down, and repaint it. I want my work to last and keep looking good,” he said as he switched from an angle grinder to a strange looking sanding wheel on a cordless drill while working in his driveway.

He noted that many of his pieces evolve and change from his original vision as hidden rot or imperfections appear while he carves. “I do a lot of owls, bears, birds, and other pieces that all start out similar, but each piece of wood is a little different, and no two are exactly the same.”