Colorful metallic statue of a jockey riding a horse outside a brick building.

Wood Sculpting

Woodwork and wood carving is a timeless craft that turns raw wood into expressive forms, blending patience, precision, and imagination. Few artists embody this art as powerful as Kiptoo Tarus whose fluid carvings capture emotion, movement, and cultural memory. Drawing inspiration from his heritage, personal journey, and the local Lexington area, Tarus transforms each piece of wood into a narrative. Expressive faces, strong hands, or dynamic figures, all reveal a soul within the grain. His work highlights woodcarving not just as a skill, but as a storytelling medium that connects tradition, identity, and contemporary artistry.

Notable installations

Man with crossed arms in a green jacket and hat stands in front of a tall wooden-panel mural with blue and purple figures.
Large carved wooden horse statue mounted on a tree stump in a rural yard with barn and fence in the background.
Wooden park benches on gravel pads in a sunny cemetery with headstones and trees in the background.
Two people cut a red ribbon in front of a blue seated sculpture outdoors.
Man wearing a brown hat and striped sweater poses behind two carved wooden liquor bottle holders on a red carpet in a gallery.",
Curved wooden bench with three circular carved supports on a small gravel pedestal in a grassy cemetery park.
Wooden elephant fountain carved from logs, set in a circular stone planter in front of a brick building with windows.
A gardener or worker stands beside a tall, colorful sculpture of a vase with multicolored bulbs, in a park setting under trees.
A large black horse statue outdoors with a blue nose band, mounted on a multi-faceted pedestal beside a fence and trees.
Whiskey display: a carved hand holds a Maker's Mark bottle above a wooden barrel, with another bottle resting on a wooden board atop the barrel.
Smiling man in a red-brimmed hat and denim jacket posing beside a giant Maker's Mark whiskey bottle prop in a rustic room with wooden walls and a ceiling fan.
Rainbow-colored horse statue with a golden jockey, mounted on a white pedestal in an outdoor plaza beside a brick building.
Man in a blue suit and bright red hat poses beside a wooden trophy on a table outdoors at a racetrack event.

Gallery

Tall carved wooden sculpture stacked with multiple figures, set in a yard beside a man in a hat for scale, against trees and a house background.
Red wooden horse sculpture on a rectangular pedestal outdoors in a workshop yard, base inscribed 'TRUCE'.
Wooden sculpture of two horses nuzzling heads, mounted on a round, weathered base outdoors in a grassy area.
Wooden sculpture carved from a tree stump, a hand reaches toward a cluster of hollow log forms at the base of the carving.
Wooden sculpture of a standing stag with large antlers on a rock pedestal, flanked by two smaller deer, outdoors in a yard. A carved plaque is mounted at the base.
Colorfully painted wooden arch formed by two carved tree trunks in a park setting, featuring butterfly designs.
Crude wooden relief of two people carved in a rectangular frame, outdoors at night.