Pittsboro, North Carolina: Clyde Jones' Critter Crossing

Clyde Jones, the Bynum, NC native whose crude chainsaw "Critter" carvings have made him a hit among folk art lovers, will again be the feted attraction at the second annual "Clydefest," a day long celebration of his work. Jones suffered a stroke in April, and was hospitalized for five days, but the 65-year old told a reporter, "I'm coming back!" Clydefest will be held Saturday, June 21st, at the Chatham Arts Council's farm near Pittsboro, NC.

We've visited folk artist Clyde Jones in Bynum, NC a number of times. As the previous posting mentions, his yard is filled with his chainsaw-carved critters and his house is covered with his paintings. These photos are from the summer of 2000, but we were just there last Christmas, and everything looks pretty much the same (except that there are MORE critters every time we go.) Just about every house in Bynum has a Clyde critter in the yard, and at Christmas most of them are decorated with lights.

Clyde doesn't sell his work, only gives it away. The only exception was last year when he allowed one of his neighbors to sell his paintings at her art gallery in Chapel Hill, with proceeds going to the gallery.

Clyde (and his dog Speck) seem to really enjoy having children visit, so if you've got kids, bring them along.

Clyde Jones is a renowned folk artist who carves wooden animal sculptures with a chain saw. He lives in Bynum, NC, a tiny mill town off US 15-501 south of Chapel Hill. His small mill house is covered with murals and surrounded by hundreds of fantastic wooden animals. Clyde carves his "critters" from large chunks of wood, then uses assorted junk (beaten up softballs, plastic fruit, old film canisters, etc.) to add eyes, scales, spines, and other features.

Clyde often greets visitors himself, and he doesn't seem to mind if you wander around the yard for hours. If he's in the mood to talk, maybe he'll tell you about his visit from Mikhail Barishnikov or have you sign his guest book.