ENDICOTT, N.Y. -- James Brazeal is the bear man of New Mexico. The intricate animals he chainsaws from hunks of wood are his legacy and his passion.

"It's not a wealthy life, it's a rich life, because I do what I desire doing," said Brazeal, a rugged man with an old-world feel.

Well-known in the Southwest, Brazeal has traveled to Endicott to work with his eagle-carving protégé, Gary Meza.

But it wasn't always easy to work with the bear man.

"I bugged the bear man to come work with him. And he said no, I don't want to train anybody, I just don't want to do it. And he finally just said come on," said Meza, who owns the 75-acre farm where he and Brazeal spent the week.

Years ago, an accident cost the bear man everything physically, monetarily and emotionally. He says carving helped him heal.

"At that time I was really needing some courage to pick the pieces of my life up. And the more pretty things I made, the better I healed."

At the end of the day, these tranquil acres are all about woodworking and art. But there's also a certain, indefinable, spiritual quality as well.

"There's some real special things going on up here. I walk around and I limp all the time, and I'll come up here and I feel better," said Michael Guarnieri, an aspiring chainsaw carver.

An artist by training, Meza now runs a carpet and tile cleaning business in San Antonio, Texas. He hopes to open what he calls the Rocking 'M' Gallery inside this century-old barn in Endicott.

"Funny thing about dreams is sometimes you get to live them, and I'm living my dream to come back here and open up the place with spirit and beauty," said Meza.

Meza's been with the bear man for six years, and the eagles he creates are from his influence.

"In the art world I've learned everything from him. He's the first man in my life that basically told me the truth," added Meza.

The bear man's truth, like his art, is simple: A tree trunk transformed into something more than the sum of its parts.

"We burn 'em for wood and to make paper, but we can make some pretty stuff out of 'em too and let them live again," said the bear man.

Brazeal's most famous works are his carved saints at the Lorretto Chapel in New Mexico.

His bears take about two days to carve and can sell for as much as $500.