Local Sculptor Releases Book of Artwork

NEWS

Local artist August W. Birk, whose specialty is wooden sculptures, recently published a book with the help of his friend Edwin Smith. The Wood Sculptures by August W. Birk is a photographic compilation of Birk’s sculptures, which he carves using a chainsaw.

Birk is a Cape Girardeau resident, and while most of his work stays in the county, a few pieces have gone as far as Florida and Minnesota. Birk did a lot of work in the 1990s, carving people and animals. One of his statues - Major Louis Lorimier – was created for Cape Rock Park in 1997. Next year will mark his 90th birthday, but Birk still breaks out the chainsaw to create art.

Smith took photographs of each piece and compiled summaries for them in the book, which was then published by Concord Printing. While it is not available for purchase Smith donated copies to several libraries in the area: Kent Library at Southeast, the Cape Girardeau Public Library, the Riverside Regional Library in Jackson, school libraries in Scott City, Jackson and Cape Girardeau, as well as at Notre Dame Regional High School and Saxony Lutheran High School.