BIO

My love of woodcarving started at an early age. I spent lots of time playing in the woods by  the Mississippi River in Minnesota. I always carried a small pocket knife with me and  would carve things like whistles, bows and arrows and walking sticks to pass the time. Later  in my life, when a friend at work got me interested in carving shore birds called “smoothies,  my interest was piqued again. I also carved several detailed ducks and gave them as gifts.  At an arts festival in Minnesota I noticed a woodcarver, who made folk-art fan birds. They  caught my interest as they were quite different from what most carvers were making. I  asked lots of questions and found out the carver was offering classes. I attended a couple of  classes and was hooked! The birds were fun to make. As I carved more birds, my carvings  started to evolve as I added more realism and detail. The evolution continues to this day. In 2002, when I retired and moved too Prescott, I finally had some time to get more serious  about my artistic endeavors. Besides making fan birds, I make stain-glass windows and  lamp work beads. I began getting serious about making detailed carved animals. I carved my dog, a Golden Retriever, and was encouraged to enter it in the Grand Canyon Woodcarver’s Show in Mesa. In 2006, I entered and won 1st place in the novice division. This spurred me on to carve an elk which I entered in the 2007 show, and I was thrilled to win overall Best of Show. In 2010 I carved two fighting white-tail deer and won a 1st place at the Grand Canyon Woodcarver’s Show in Mesa. Today, I go back and forth creating in different mediums but carving the Fan Birds with wood remains my favorite.