The vibrant artistic community in Waxhaw, NC has only been enhanced by newcomer, Mark Hauge who moved here in 2017 from Monroe, New York.  In a short year’s time, he has become rooted in the local art world as a Director of Created in the Carolinas and Wood Sculpture.

Mark can often be found on a nice day in the shade of his outdoor studio at Eight Legs Gallery carving logs and tree stumps into abstract or animal sculptures.  It is fascinating to watch his work transform from an ordinary log into a bench shaped like a friendly dragon or from an oversized tree stump into a bigger-than-life turtle!

As a retired art teacher, Mark studied many different forms of art, but found his voice through sculpture. His sculptures may take anywhere from 4 hours to 4 years to create depending on when he gets that final idea to complete his pieces.  Mark enjoys the spontaneous nature of the creative process so abstract sculptures are his favorite, however, his personality-filled animal sculptures are recognizable throughout the community, many of which can be seen in various stages of progress at Eight Legs Gallery.

Stop by Eight Legs Gallery and take a family photo on “Champ”, Mark’s carved, wooden bench shaped like a friendly dragon or watch his next project come alive as he carves fence posts into works of art.

Furthering his artist reach beyond his own art, Mark serves as a Director of Created in the Carolinas and a member of the Waxhaw Arts Council.  He would very much like to see a collaboration among all artists in the community to promote the vast amount of talent in the Waxhaw area.