"Beauty Created by Chainsaw Rage"

HARLEN BROWN
News Editor

Brandon Lee Messex is in the tree recycling business. He does not however turn trees into newspapers. His business is just a little bit different than that. When he gets done recycling, you may wind up with anything from a six-headed-totem pole to a pelican, an eagle, a dolphin, a bear or anything you may request. Messex's business moniker is "Chainsaw Rage" and what he does is custom sculptures. If you have driven U.S. 1 through Key Largo -,and there is no other way to get through Key Largo - you surely could not help but notice the very sun-tanned, young man with the Mohawk hair cut and the chainsaw in his hand, or at least one of the many works of art he has carved in front of the Plant Store at 100750 Overseas Highway.

Messex came out of the Marine Corps and was driving down a road in North Carolina when he saw someone carving sculptures with a chainsaw. It caught his attention so much that he stopped to watch. "Up to that time I had never used a chainsaw before," Messex said. "I was certainly not an artist. Hell, I couldn't even draw a straight line." He watched and he learned from the man and then branched out on his own. When he had improved his skills he moved to Lake Tahoe in Nevada, and set up shop. There he specialized in bears - big bears, some as tall as 12 feet. Some were carrying fishing poles and one was even wearing snow skis.

Most of his work is done by request. "You have an idea - I can turn it into a piece of art," he tells his customers. He also did a 13 foot trout for a Lake Tahoe resort. Since coming to the Keys, where there is a lot of traffic and more of a market for his work, Messex has been using mostly native trees for his work, with everything being carved from a single piece of wood. He uses Mahogany; Tamrin, Gumbo Limbo; Norfolk Pine, Australian Pine and Sapadilla.

One of his most recent endeavors is six faces on a totem pole. He calls it "Faces of the World." There is a wizard, a lady pirate, an Italian, an oriental lady, and a witch doctor holding a self portrait of the artist by his Mohawk hair cut.

Does he make a good living? "I live an artist's lifestyle, which is: Have faith in-the art and it will provide for you. It provides for me." Even when he is not selling anything he loves the people who just stop by to look and take photos. "They come from all different countries, Europe, Japan, Canada and from all around the U.S. I find them as interesting as they find my work." Depending on what the customer wants, Messex will rough finish the sculpture, sand it down, use clear epoxy to give it a shine or burn it to give it an antique look.

"My most popular request for sculptures in the Keys is for pelicans. They run from $30 to $2,600. A lot of people also want mermaids, and dolphins are popular too."

All his work is done with three different chainsaws, all of which are manufactured by Husquarna, a compnay out of Sweden. "They are lighter, faster, and more powerful than any others I've found," he said. He has a complete set of cutting bars from eight inches to 32 inches.

Messex said he also enjoys teaching people who would like to learn and at the present time has the Plant Store owner, Tyrone Ladue, learning the trade. "I kind of like the Native Americans," Messex, "who made the statement, 'Start with a log and cut away everything that is not a canoe."