Public Carving Events
This year has presented me with a health set back which I am recovering from rather nicely. In May I had a total reversal left shoulder replacement which prevented me from doing much of anything other than recover and go to physical therapy twice a week. I have been released from PT and started carving timidly in Mid-August and I am slowly working to build my depleted supply of finished carvings. My goal is to have a respectful Christmas showing,
The Mississippi Valley Wood Carvers Association will have a show and sale on Saturday, October 5, 9 AM- 4 PM, at the First Presbyterian
Church of East Moline, 777 25th Avenue, East Moline. This will be an opportunity to meet the different members of club and view the variety of styles of carving our club represents.
The Smith Studio and Gallery is the exclusive full time shop displaying and selling my works in the Quad Cities area. The Smith Gallery and Studio is an exciting studio for showing, demonstrating and teaching arts in Geneseo, IL. I am very pleased with my association with David Smith and his wife Dale. They are a driving force for the growing art community in Geneseo. Their shop is located downtown at 124 South State Street, Geneseo, IL. Geneseo is a 20 minute drive from the Quad Cities off I-80...you can see the twin wind mill generators for miles away.
The Geneseo Christmas Walk Parade will be on Saturday, December 14. I have not firmed this up yet with David Smith, but I am expecting to continue my tradition of demonstrating my style of wood carving that evening at the Smith Studio and Gallery. I always have a good time demonstrating and explaining about wood carving.
My work is now available at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, IA. It is a little greater than three hours North from the Quad-Cities but the beautiful drive and beautiful town make it worth the trip. Vesterheim is a destination for many Scandinavians...okay, more Norwegians than Swedes but a destination anyway. Decorah is also home to Luther College which helps give it a bit of a college town flavor. I have been taking classes at the Folk Art school at Vesterheim for several years to improve my painting skills and learn more of the traditional Scandinavian arts.
On November 22-24, I will be taking a class at the Folk Art School at Vesterheim learning the old Scandinavian art of Kohlrosing. Basically, this is making ornate decorative scratching's in wood then rubbing a darken agent, traditionally ashes but a variety of powdery substances are used. After rubbing the wood with oil the darken scratching's remain displaying the intended design. I am hoping to incorporate this technic in some of my carvings.
Bishop Hill has been increasingly a larger part of my creative life. Bishop Hill started as a colony in Illinois for Swedish emigrants around the 1850's. By chance, my woodcarving club's booth at the Festival of Trees in Davenport was next to a booth celebrating the Swedish Christmas traditions. Many of the decorations came from Bishop Hill Heritage Foundation. I had a conversation with Todd DeDecker, the Foundation's administrator about my Dala horse carvings and paintings. After losing their source for Dala horse blanks for their Dala painting classes, Todd reached out to me to see if I knew of a new resource for them. I volunteered to give it a shot and found it to be a good fit. I have honed my skills in carving the traditional Swedish horse and supplied the Foundation with a way to continue their painting lessons. At their request, I have expanded to Dala roosters, Dala pigs and, hopefully in 2025, a wooden version of a Julebukk (Swedish Christmas Goat. These farm creatures are not as famous as the horse, but still part of the Swedish tradition..
The Prairie Arts Center in Bishop Hill now has Swedish only offerings of my Swedish carvings.
Jordbruksdagarna 2024 will be September 28-29. It is easier to say Agriculture Days. For the last few years I have been volunteering as a demonstrator of traditional arts from the days of the colony. OK, most of my work is not traditional, but I also display my kuksa cups, wooden spoons, Tomtes (Swedish Gnomes) and Dala Horses.
This year, because of my surgery, I will not be teaching a Fall carving class or supplying Bishop Hill with the carvings they use for the Dala painting class. I am hopeful of full recovery for a return to these activities ion 2025.
The Festival of Trees at the River Center, down town Davenport, IA will be November 23-December 1. The Mississippi Valley Wood Carvers Association, the carving club I am a member of, will again have our Santa Workshop room where our members share time to demonstrate wood carving. We also encourage anyone interested in trying out the art to join us for lessons in 2025.
The Mississippi Valley Wood Carvers Association will have a show and sale on Saturday, October 5, 9 AM- 4 PM, at the First Presbyterian
Church of East Moline, 777 25th Avenue, East Moline. This will be an opportunity to meet the different members of club and view the variety of styles of carving our club represents.
The Smith Studio and Gallery is the exclusive full time shop displaying and selling my works in the Quad Cities area. The Smith Gallery and Studio is an exciting studio for showing, demonstrating and teaching arts in Geneseo, IL. I am very pleased with my association with David Smith and his wife Dale. They are a driving force for the growing art community in Geneseo. Their shop is located downtown at 124 South State Street, Geneseo, IL. Geneseo is a 20 minute drive from the Quad Cities off I-80...you can see the twin wind mill generators for miles away.
The Geneseo Christmas Walk Parade will be on Saturday, December 14. I have not firmed this up yet with David Smith, but I am expecting to continue my tradition of demonstrating my style of wood carving that evening at the Smith Studio and Gallery. I always have a good time demonstrating and explaining about wood carving.
My work is now available at the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, IA. It is a little greater than three hours North from the Quad-Cities but the beautiful drive and beautiful town make it worth the trip. Vesterheim is a destination for many Scandinavians...okay, more Norwegians than Swedes but a destination anyway. Decorah is also home to Luther College which helps give it a bit of a college town flavor. I have been taking classes at the Folk Art school at Vesterheim for several years to improve my painting skills and learn more of the traditional Scandinavian arts.
On November 22-24, I will be taking a class at the Folk Art School at Vesterheim learning the old Scandinavian art of Kohlrosing. Basically, this is making ornate decorative scratching's in wood then rubbing a darken agent, traditionally ashes but a variety of powdery substances are used. After rubbing the wood with oil the darken scratching's remain displaying the intended design. I am hoping to incorporate this technic in some of my carvings.
Bishop Hill has been increasingly a larger part of my creative life. Bishop Hill started as a colony in Illinois for Swedish emigrants around the 1850's. By chance, my woodcarving club's booth at the Festival of Trees in Davenport was next to a booth celebrating the Swedish Christmas traditions. Many of the decorations came from Bishop Hill Heritage Foundation. I had a conversation with Todd DeDecker, the Foundation's administrator about my Dala horse carvings and paintings. After losing their source for Dala horse blanks for their Dala painting classes, Todd reached out to me to see if I knew of a new resource for them. I volunteered to give it a shot and found it to be a good fit. I have honed my skills in carving the traditional Swedish horse and supplied the Foundation with a way to continue their painting lessons. At their request, I have expanded to Dala roosters, Dala pigs and, hopefully in 2025, a wooden version of a Julebukk (Swedish Christmas Goat. These farm creatures are not as famous as the horse, but still part of the Swedish tradition..
The Prairie Arts Center in Bishop Hill now has Swedish only offerings of my Swedish carvings.
Jordbruksdagarna 2024 will be September 28-29. It is easier to say Agriculture Days. For the last few years I have been volunteering as a demonstrator of traditional arts from the days of the colony. OK, most of my work is not traditional, but I also display my kuksa cups, wooden spoons, Tomtes (Swedish Gnomes) and Dala Horses.
This year, because of my surgery, I will not be teaching a Fall carving class or supplying Bishop Hill with the carvings they use for the Dala painting class. I am hopeful of full recovery for a return to these activities ion 2025.
The Festival of Trees at the River Center, down town Davenport, IA will be November 23-December 1. The Mississippi Valley Wood Carvers Association, the carving club I am a member of, will again have our Santa Workshop room where our members share time to demonstrate wood carving. We also encourage anyone interested in trying out the art to join us for lessons in 2025.