Kauko Vainikainen was already very handy as a boy. Later in life he began to carve wooden sculptures of animals. Most of them are of a small scale, but there are also a few big wooden bears around his house in Piikiö. His work is very refined, very naturalistic, and instead of paint he uses varnish to finish the surface.
Vainikainen worked as a decorator and car painter. As a hobby he also wrote contributions to newspapers.
