Video: Tornado Debris Turned Into Works Of Art

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TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – They began working Thursday morning , transforming what is left of a Red Oak tree, into a work of art.

“We’re doing a custom bench for Joyner Elementary,” said Dayton Scoggins.

Dayton Scoggins and his son Kenny are chainsaw sculptors. The tree that will become a raccoon bench used to stand proudly in the yard of Paul “Buzzy” Mize.

“It’s amazing to see what these people can do with it artistically and it’s so appropriate to do something like that,” Mize said.

The father and son team work quickly, using a variety of chainsaws, without a blueprint for their unique design.

“Most of the time we wing it, we might lay a line here or there just to get a profile line or something we are going with but most of it is just guessing,” Scoggins said.

The racoon bench will sit in front of Joyner Elementary as a permanent reminder to students, teachers and the community that something positive can come out of a tragic situation.

“There’s not a lemon you can’t make lemonade out of,” Mize said.

Students were able to spend part of their final school day before Christmas break watching the master craftsmen.

What kind of animals are on the bench, what do you see?
“A raccoon,” said First Grader Erasmus Crisp.
Do you think it’s easy or hard, what he’s doing?
“Hard,” Crisp said.
A mini grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission helped bring the woodcutters to the area.

On Friday, the team will craft a bench for the Gumtree Museum of Art in downtown Tupelo.