What if the spirit of an animal was already sleeping inside a fallen log, just waiting for the right hands to set it free? For one artist, this is not a fantasy, but a guiding principle. In a studio nestled in the forests of British Columbia, sculptor Mori Kono doesn’t just carve wood; he coaxes life from it, revealing astonishingly realistic creatures that seem to emerge from the very timber they are a part of. His work raises a compelling question about the boundary between art and nature, and our place within it.

The Carver’s Path: From Structure to Spirit

Mori Kono’s journey was not one of formal art academies but of deep, practical immersion in his medium. After moving to Canada from Japan in the mid-1990s, he began his career in the physically demanding world of log home and timber frame construction. This work provided his true apprenticeship, teaching him the structural secrets of wood on a massive scale. He learned to read the grain, to understand how a tree’s rings tell a story of seasons and struggle, and how to anticipate the material’s behavior under stress. This mastery over the physicality of wood gave him a profound understanding that few studio-trained artists ever achieve.

Woodcarving began as a personal hobby, a quiet counterpoint to the grand scale of construction. As his creations began to attract attention for their remarkable vitality, a new path began to form. The transition from builder to sculptor was a gradual focusing of his skills, a perfect synthesis of his past and future.

A Second Life for Fallen Trees

Kono’s work is guided by a clear philosophy of harmony with nature, which begins long before a chisel ever touches the wood. He predominantly works with trees native to British Columbia, such as Western red cedar and alder, grounding his art in the local ecosystem. More importantly, he actively seeks out salvaged wood, sourcing his materials from the aftermath of storms or development clearing.

This practice is an act of reclamation. Each piece carries a history—the story of a storm, or of a forest cleared for human expansion. In Kono’s hands, that story becomes a new beginning. For instance, one of his fox carvings was created from a storm-damaged Alder tree that was given to him. The resulting sculpture is not just an image of a fox; it is a tangible piece of the forest’s history, given a noble second life.

How the Sculptures Are Made

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Working with unprocessed logs presents a significant technical challenge: they are saturated with moisture and inherently unstable. To solve this, Kono engineered and built his own low-temperature vacuum chamber, a bespoke kiln that gently dries the massive logs over two weeks, preserving the wood’s cellular quality and ensuring the final piece will not crack or warp.

Once the wood is stable, the carving begins. The process is a dynamic shift from industrial power to artistic precision. Kono first uses power tools like chainsaws to remove excess material, a loud and physical dialogue that blocks out the rough form. The soul of the piece, however, emerges in the quiet that follows. Switching to small handheld chisels, he painstakingly renders the impossibly fine textures that bring his creatures to life. The final step is often a careful coloring process, applying stains to the animal so it stands out, while the log it emerges from is left raw—a powerful illusion of a living creature breaking free from its wooden womb.

Stories Carved in Wood

Kono’s sculptures are more than just representations of animals; they are deeply personal stories and symbols of connection, healing, and memory.

“Sea Otters in Kelps”

Installed at the B.C. Children’s Hospital, “Sea Otters in Kelps” is a testament to the purpose-driven nature of Kono’s art. Carved from Western red cedar, this piece is one of five landmark sculptures designed for the exterior of a wheelchair training ramp at a new rehabilitation facility. The playful, buoyant nature of the otters provides a powerful psychological counterpoint to the arduous work of rehabilitation. They are strategically placed to encourage and delight children during their challenging therapy sessions, transforming a clinical space into a place of wonder and imaginative escape. The artwork serves a functional role beyond aesthetics, acting as a milestone and a friendly presence that can help motivate a child to push just a little further up the ramp.

The Spiral Staircase Duo: An Unlikely Friendship

Crafted as a narrative pair for a large spiral staircase, “Raccoon with an acorn” and “Chipmunk looking down” capture a moment of charming interaction. The raccoon, carved from yellow cedar and fir, appears to be offering an acorn up to the chipmunk perched above.

The chipmunk, carved from fir, looks down in response. Together, they create a dynamic story that unfolds as one moves through the space, animating the architecture with a touch of woodland whimsy.

This installation transforms a simple transitional area into a point of engagement, inviting residents to pause and observe the quiet drama. It’s a reminder that stories and connections exist everywhere, even in the vertical spaces of a home, and that generosity can be found in the simplest of gestures.

“Dottie is the best friend”

This sculpture of a Western grey squirrel immortalizes a real and unique relationship. The piece was commissioned by a client who is visited every day by a squirrel he named Dottie. For years, Dottie has come to his porch to eat sunflower seeds directly from his hand, a bond of trust exclusive to him. Kono captured this special connection in walnut, creating not just a likeness of the animal, but a permanent tribute to a friendship that crosses the barrier between human and wild. The act of commissioning the piece validates the significance of this personal, quiet relationship, elevating it to the level of fine art. The sculpture serves as a testament to the idea that meaningful connections with nature are not abstract concepts, but can be found in the patient, daily interactions with the life that surrounds us.

“Wood mice box”: An Urn of Love and Memory

Perhaps one of his most profound works, the “Wood mice box” is a functional urn commissioned by the parents of a son, CJ, who passed away at 21 after a life with severe PEHO syndrome. Carved from curly maple, the box represents the geologic strata of the earth, while the lid, featuring two gentle wood mice, symbolizes the living ground above. This design creates a powerful metaphor for time, memory, and the veil between life and what lies beyond. The mice were chosen to represent the son’s pure, innocent soul, which radiated love and joy despite his physical limitations. In a quiet, loving detail, the tails of the mice are shaped to form his initials, CJ. This subtle personalization transforms the urn from a container into a sanctuary of memory. The piece is a powerful vessel for grief and remembrance, transforming a story of immense love and loss into a work of quiet, enduring beauty that honors a life lived with profound connection.

The Unfolding Story of Matter and Spirit

On a deeper level, Kono’s art is a meditation on the nature of life and awareness. His signature “emergence motif” is a powerful metaphor. The animal is not an entity imposed upon the wood; it is part of it, sharing the same grain and substance. This visual narrative suggests that life is a constant cycle of emergence from decay, and that all matter contains a latent potential. The artist’s role is not one of a creator, but of a facilitator, collaborating with the wood’s unique shape and grain to help birth a spirit that was always present.

This approach invites a profound shift in perception, echoing animistic and Shinto beliefs where spirits, or kami, reside in natural objects. Kono’s sculptures act as focal points for contemplation, challenging the viewer to see the world not as a collection of inert resources, but as a vibrant system of interconnected life. They remind us that we are not separate from the natural world, but are ourselves an emergent part of its unfolding story.

Featured Image Credit: Mori Kono @mkcarving on Instagram

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