Wood-be masterpieces

Woodcarver Todd Bartlett admits his head has always been in the clouds. And that’s what makes the Pacific Beach artist’s work so creative. “When I was a kid, I used to look at the clouds to see what I could find,” said the surfer and owner of Liquid Foundation Surf Shop on Mission Boulevard. “I still do.” Only now, in addition to finding forms in the sky, he finds them in pieces of driftwood and other raw wood he collects at area beaches and parks — and anywhere else people are cutting down trees. He started carving the trunks and tangled limbs about two years ago. His living room, backyard and driveway are full of the unusual shapes. While some pieces weigh only a few ounces, others are too heavy for one person to pick up. Bartlett said he creates everything by hand, using only two rusty handsaws, hammers, chisels and an assortment of files. “My girlfriend says someone is going to see my files and think I’m in prison,” he said, laughing. She recently bought him a chainsaw, but Bartlett hasn’t used it yet. For now, he’s sticking to his old tools, carving thousands of scales one by one on his fish and dragon sculptures. While some people see only firewood from felled trees and wood that has floated in on the tides, the father of two sees a whole menagerie. His technique is to carve off the excess wood, revealing shapes that were once seen only by him. “The piece of wood determines what I’m going to make,” he said, stripping bark from one piece and staring at it until it coughs up an animal, fish or man to him. “If I don’t see something in the wood, I won’t even take the bark off. I put the piece in the backyard ’til I see something … But right away, as I’m a surfer, I see barreling waves (in many pieces).” “I think the pieces that are the neatest are the ones that already look like something, like this snake,” he said. He picks up one of his snake carvings and drapes it over his right shoulder. Bartlett carves all of his creations from single pieces of wood. He said he “cuts away, but never adds to it.” Most carvers, he said, “cut off all the limbs and leave a Tiki.” He does just the opposite, watching the limbs transform into something unique. His wooden zoo includes an iguana. “Its tongue was already sticking out when I found it,” Bartlett said. There’s also a rattlesnake curled around a trunk and a crocodile with a fish in its mouth made of wood from Kate Sessions Park. Bartlett said he’s found that the best time to scour the beaches is after storms and big swells. He’s on the lookout now for flotsam and jetsam rumored to be making landfall soon from Japan’s 2011 earthquake. Bartlett said he is drawn to interesting shapes. “This piece was from Swami’s beach,” he said, pointing out his hunter man and fish piece. “I think the wood is white oak. … It weighs about 70 pounds.” There’s a coyote eating a rat that was collected from the shore at Imperial Beach; the rattlesnake from Kate Sessions Park, “where guys with orange jackets were cutting a tree down;” three octopuses entwined around a fish from Black’s Beach, and the beginning of a giant coral reef from a neighbor’s felled tree. “I’m one of those kids that starts 10 things and finishes two,” Bartlett said. He uses polished stones for the eyes, saying, “They’re creepy at night.” He colors his creations with wood stain and even crayons. Bartlett only started carving two years ago after he and his kids picked up an interesting piece of wood at the beach. “Like surfing, you get to express yourself [with woodcarving],” he said. “It’s so much fun taking the bark off.” He points to his front lawn, where bark and scraps of wood have replaced the grass. Bartlett often carves in front of his surf shop. Recently, he tried to work at the beach north of Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach. But he ended up with a crowd of about 20 people who wanted to chat about his work. “I think I got four rubs in before everyone started asking questions,” Bartlett said. “One man offered me $1,500 for a piece.” “I’ll never ever be able to make the same thing again” because each piece of raw wood is different, he said. Everything is one of a kind. Though he hasn’t tried to sell anything yet — he wanted to build a collection first — his dream is to find a local gallery to display his work and sell it for big bucks, eventually making it possible for him to carve full time. “This is more relaxing than running my shop,” he said. For now, Bartlett said, “The pieces are made by hand in the United States by a surfer boy. And that’s pretty cool.” • Liquid Foundation Surf Shop 3731 Mission Blvd., 858) 488-3260