Township’s bear-carving guru

If you have seen a wood-carved welcome bear outside of someone’s property in town, there is a chance it was made by James J. Pizzuto.

The lifelong Washington Township resident has spent the last 13 years pursuing a passion and hobby of chainsaw carving, and his niche is stout bears with personality.

Pizzuto, who is an employee with Washington Township public works and a Marine veteran, spends practically all of his free time in his backyard workshop carving away with his chainsaws, spray painting and sharing fun videos of his work to his Facebook page, which has amassed more than 11K followers.

He attributes his rise in popularity and followers online to his “character,” “the way (he) posts stuff” and his optimistic outlook on life.

“I like laughing all the time. I used to be high-strung when I was younger, and now I’m just laid back. Whatever happens, happens. I’m not going to worry about nothing,” he said. “So now, I just like to laugh, have fun. (I like to) showcase my dog, Honeybear, and more people know her name than they do my name. She is kind of like the unofficial mascot.”

Pizzuto enjoys posting tutorials and videos that can help out or inspire others interested in chainsaw carving.

“I’ll have other people who are just starting to carve contact me and (ask me questions about specific things), and sometimes I’ll just put together a video, post it and I’ll reply to them and say, ‘Hey, check my reels. It’s in there.”

He also has several apprentices and people he helps out from time-to-time. Some people are locals, while others are from all across the country. He meets many people through social media, conventions, events and word of mouth. He values the community component of carving, and he does not see any one as a competitor.

“I (know) a guy out in Arkansas that I show stuff to. He was starting to copy some of my designs, and he said, ‘I didn’t want to do it exact,’ and I said, ‘I don’t care. Do you think I was the first to ever carve a bear, a lighthouse or anything?'” he said. “I told him (and everyone I help) to use my style, because what’s going to happen is you’re going to do it to a T at first, just to get the feel of it, then you’re going to realize you don’t like (something about it). You’ll put your own spin on it, but you need somebody to show you the ropes.”

When Pizzuto first got into chainsaw carving in 2013, he also had people show him the ropes.

Prior to unlocking his passion for chainsaw carving, Pizzuto said he was not doing much besides playing video games and living at his parents house into his late 30s. One day in 2013, he came downstairs and saw his dad — a woodworker himself — was watching the Discovery Channel realty TV show “Saw Dogs.” Pizzuto was interested, so he sat down and watched it with his dad.

As soon as the episode was over, Pizzuto said, “I’m gonna try that.” He went outside, picked up his dad’s tools, and started carving a bear head. His dad later joined him.

“Both (bears) sucked, but we were laughing. We had fun doing it, because it was just fun using a chainsaw. I (knew) I wanted to try this again, but I wanted to get a better chainsaw,” Pizzuto said. “So I got a bigger chainsaw, then (my dad) bought me a book on how to carve a bear. That helped a little bit more, and then I met a guy that lives in Bridgeton that does (this) for a living.”

Pizzuto learned from his mentor in Bridgeton, as well as many other helpful people in the carving community over the years.

While his skills have grown, so has his popularity and the demand for his work. However, the money or sales is not why Pizzuto does this: It truly is just because of how much he loves carving and how much he loves putting a smile on others’ faces. Plus, it is not his full-time job (and he likes it that way).

However, Pizzuto does sell his creations, primarily through posting available items on Facebook or at local festivals. He said his prices are on the lower end, and he enjoys making his products accessible.

Prices do vary, but Pizzuto’s baseline for each bear is about $120 a foot, up to four feet. So, a four-foot-tall bear would be about $480. Width, position and details are some other factors in deciding the price. Prices go up with size. Six-foot bears start at around $600, and mailbox bears start at about $1,200.

Additionally, Pizzuto is very charitable. He will often donate a portion of proceeds to different local charities or causes. He also regularly donates and gives out free bears or carvings. And if he ever receives tips, he said he primarily donates them to 4 Paws Dog Rescue of NJ, a local nonprofit his friend runs.

“This is the kind of thing that if you’re up there in the ranks or your name goes nationwide for carving, yeah, you can make some bucks. But it’s not about the money for me,” he said. “It’s keeping my mind occupied, keeping my mind busy.”

For more information, find him at James J. Pizzuto on Facebook.