Uschi Elias

Uschi Elias (born March 12, 1965 in Bergisch Gladbach ; † April 27, 2012 in Hennef ) was a German chainsaw artist. She lived in the Hennef town of Oberhalberg since 1999 .

Life and artistic creation

Uschi Elias was a sculptor. She became known for her large wooden sculptures, which she created with the help of her chainsaws. By working with firewood, she had learned to use a chainsaw and discovered her love for wood. Around 2004 she realized that "woman" can do more than just cut and saw trees with a chainsaw. She started with chairs. Since then she has been active as a chainsaw artist who created a variety of objects. She was a member of the "Husqvarna Carving Team Germany" since Whitsun 2006. She was also a member of the “Chainsaw Chix Team USA”. She was internationally known and worked at chainsaw events around the world.

She took part in numerous competitions, such as “V. European Chainsaw Carving 2011 "," ECHO Carving Cup Germany "(2010) and" III. Chainsaws Art Days Thuringia ”(2010), to name just a few. In 2011 she came fourth at the US Open Chainsaw Sculptor Championship.

She was also known in her home town of Hennef. a. as a participant in the Hennef city festival, but above all as the creator of the larger than life walrus lady "Trude", who found her place in the Hennef Kurpark in April 2008. She left many traces in the vicinity of her place of residence in Oberhalberg. You can still find her sculptures here today. a. in the area of ​​their former home, on a dirt road between Oberhalberg and Niederhalberg (magician "Roskump" made of Douglas fir) or in the Bödinger farm garden ( Pietà ) as well as in some front gardens in the neighboring villages.

She had been working with Indians for decades after her mother gave her Indian jewelry at the age of eight. She has not let go of this topic since then. In her garden there was a teepee with self-made chairs in front of it. However, it was not about becoming or playing Indians, but rather interested in their philosophy of life and their special contact with nature.

Examples of their works

In addition to the already mentioned (walrus lady "Trude", magician "Roskump", wooden Pietà) her work included u. a .:

• Sculpture "Kappes Anna", in Raesfeld (formed in 2009 from a one meter thick oak tree trunk)
• Sculpture "Alchemist", in the city ​​of Blankenberg
• Sculpture "Woman in the Well", in Neustadt an der Orla (see below: Commons)
• Representative sculptures (people, eagles, bears, turtles, salamanders, owls, dwarfs, etc.)
• Artistic sculptures (e.g. buffalo daughter, wolfman, eagle spirit, culture shock, the islands of the turtles and much more)
• Art from tree stumps (walrus, house number, freedom, totem, ...)
• Lamps of all types and shapes, often in connection with salt crystal lamps (e.g. light stele, willow with salt crystal, walnut with salt crystal)
• A wide variety of trapper chairs
• Bowls and bowls made of different woods and in all kinds of shapes and sizes

Web links

Commons : Uschi Elias  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Uschi Elias introduces himself. In: Uschi Elias on agger-tv.de - YouTube. Retrieved November 8, 2018 . 
• In Memory of Uschi Elias. In: About Uschi Elias - YouTube. Retrieved October 27, 2018 . 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Sculptor Uschi Elias is dead. In: Bonner General-Anzeiger. Retrieved October 27, 2018 . 
2. ↑ ^{a b} When Uschi swings the chainsaw. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. Retrieved October 27, 2018 . 
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Website of Uschi Elias - Art from nature. In: Web Archive - Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 27, 2018 . 
4. ↑ What is the name of the walrus in the spa gardens? In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. Retrieved May 16, 2020 . 
5. ^ The cottage garden in Bödingen. In: Website of the home association Bödingen. Retrieved October 27, 2018 . 
6. ↑ Kappes Anna (Raesfeld). In: wikimapia.org. Retrieved May 16, 2020 . 
7. ^ City of Blankenberg is in danger. In: Rhein-Westerwald-News. Retrieved May 16, 2020 .