Eric Widitz , born in Chicago, Illinois, Eric spent his college years studying horticulture and in 1978 started his own business of landscape designing. During the long, slow winter months, he kept busy designing & building cabinetry & furniture, honing his craft.

In 1983, he graduated to wooden signs and carved furniture embellishments. As his love of wood-carving became his major focus, Eric leaped still further and into three dimensional sculpture of wood & stone.

With only one chance to sculpt such a permanent medium, he had finally found a challenge he could take satisfaction in. Neither clay nor bronze provided the same challenge, nor could have the same warmth & character that Eric could find in a block of wood.

Now relocated from the Pacific Northwest, back to the Chicagoland area the majority of his work is done by commission, with many pieces - from a humble puppy to a massive Grizzly - being carved to scale. Using a chainsaw to speed up the rough-out process, the work progresses to other power tools, finishing details with chisels & knives.

Eric Widitz's eye for detail and candid expression always manages to shine through what was - at least once upon a time - a simple block of wood.