Edwin Fountain, the Wood Sculptor of Mount Baker, Carves New Life Into Fallen Branches and Tree Stumps

[cbabe]

https://southseattleemerald.org/arts-culture/2025/06/30/edwin-fountain-the-wood-sculptor-of-mount-baker-carves-new-life-into-fallen-branches-and-tree-stumps

Edwin Fountain, the Wood Sculptor of Mount Baker, Carves New Life Into Fallen Branches and Tree Stumps

You'll find his prolific carvings all around the shores of south Lake Washington.

Alex Garland
Published on:
Jun 30, 2025, 4:22 pm

On any random day at Colman Park beach or maybe somewhere along the shores of Lake Washington, you might find Edwin Fountain patiently carving life into a weathered stump or forgotten tree branch. The Alabama-born artist, now a well-known and loved fixture in Seattle's parks, approaches woodcarving with the quiet intensity of someone who understands that wood speaks its own language. Talking about a fallen madrona limb, he describes his process. "I've been looking at it, rubbing on it," he says about his process. "And you ready?" he asks the wood. "She's ready." For Fountain, this isn't just art, it's a conversation with the material itself, one that began decades ago in the rural landscapes of his youth.

Fountain's artistic journey started in Burnt Corn, Alabama, where his grandfather served as both mentor and moral compass, teaching practical skills with philosophical depth. "My grandfather told me something that was very important," Fountain recalls. "You don't want to make a living at art, you've got skills to make a living. Use your skills. Do your art for love."

These lessons took physical form when his grandfather would hand him tools with challenging instructions: "He'd hand me a toolbox, point to the tractor, and say, 'Take it apart.' Next day, same thing: 'Now put it back together.'" This training in patience and problem-solving became the foundation for his artistic practice.

After leaving Alabama at 18, Fountain's hunger for artistic growth took him to Los Angeles, where he studied figure drawing and ceramics. But it was the wood he found that truly spoke to him. "Found wood is seasoned and it's dried to its natural crack," he explains. "Pressed wood, when you buy it, and you take it and you mill it, it doesn't crack the same." His preference for materials that have lived a life reflects his own philosophy, that true beauty emerges from experience and resilience.

… more … photos at link … beautiful, evocative …

[erronis]

1. That's a wonderful piece and great photos.

I think I've seen some of his work along the Seward Park trails. Love to get to Mt. Baker and meet the artist!