{"id":1319917,"date":"2020-05-13T15:37:43","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T21:37:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/?p=996402"},"modified":"2020-05-13T15:37:43","modified_gmt":"2020-05-13T21:37:43","slug":"photo-essay-into-the-wild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/photos\/photo-essay-into-the-wild\/","title":{"rendered":"Photo Essay: Into the wild"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Chainsaw artist Joe Srholez of Sweetwater, adds stain to the wolves he helped carve into the tree along Fifth Street in Rifle. (Kyle Mills \/ Citizen Telegram)<\/strong>
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Artist Joe Wenal, of Rifle carefully applies stain to the tail feathers of the bald eagle atop the tree Tuesday in Rifle. Wenal started the project Monday and hopes to have it complete this week. (Kyle Mills \/ Citizen Telegram)<\/strong>
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With a slight breeze at his back, Rifle chainsaw artist Joe Wenal carefully adds detail to the tail feathers of a bald eagle poised to take flight into the blue sky over Rifle Tuesday.<\/p>\n

After a drenching day one Wenal called in his friend and fellow chainsaw artist Joe Srholez from Sweetwater to help speed up the project. Wenal said Mother Nature was much kinder the second day on the job he was commissioned to do by property owners Jim and Katherine Nichols.<\/p>\n

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An assortment of chainsaws liter the ground as chainsaw artists turn a tree into a piece of art for Katherine and Jim Nichols who have renovating the old church along Fifth Street into their home and the old convent house next door into apartments. (Kyle Mills \/ Citizen Telegram)<\/strong>
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A cougar, bear, a pack of wolves and the soaring bald eagle can be seen in the large remains of the tree on Fifth Street in downtown Rifle.<\/p>\n

Wenal hopes to have the piece finished this week depending on the weather.<\/p>\n

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