Norwegians are famous for their woodcarving. Going back thousands of years, these people turned their buildings, homes and everyday objects into works of art by carving intricate designs into them.
Because of an abundance of timberland in the country, their culture has always valued the skills of a woodcarver. In fact, up until the 19th century almost every Norwegian male living in the more rural areas of the country was a skilled carver.
As some of these people immigrated to North America, their love of woodcarving continued and was passed on to their children.
"I'm inspired by the past," says Becky Lusk. She is a carver. She specializes in Norwegian woodwork. "It's amazing what people did 600 to 1,000 years ago with their crude tools."
The early carvers probably only used one knife to create their intricate designs. Lusk uses many more implements such as skews and gouges to complete her works of art.
No matter what tools she uses, she tries to faithfully emulate Norwegian art. "My designs are based on that culture," she says.
One of the most popular Norwegian designs is stylized leaves adorned with scrolls, tendrils and fine detailing. These people also sculpted mythical creatures such as dragons to adorn rooftops. The sculptures were designed to ward off evil spirits, much the way gargoyles do atop Gothic cathedrals. In addition, figure carving is an increasingly popular style for Norwegian woodcarvers.
Lusk first became inspired by the Norwegian style at a young age. "I grew up around this and my grandpa was a carver," she explains. "I was introduced to Norwegian carving, I worked with some of his tools and learned from him."
Lusk is most proud of a carving she did of her grandfather. In the piece, her grandfather is depicted carving a log chair. The work was special because of her grandfather's recent death, and because of the technical merit of the piece.
"It looked just like him," explains Lusk. "I gave it to my mother and she took it to my grandmother. She said it looked so much like grandpa that she cried."
Lusk says nothing compares to the feeling she gets when a piece is going well. "Some pieces seem to come alive," she says. "You get so much into them, it's something special."
She says carvings don't turn out spectacularly just because of a carver's talent. "If you try really hard to do something, it might not turn out. You have to let yourself go and almost go into a trance where you can accomplish great things."
Moe Thompson is a police officer and woodcarver. He also carves objects that are close to his heart. His main passion is carving caricatures, mostly of police officers.
His interest in carving began with the simple love of working with wood. "I was just always interested in working with wood, making cabinets and that sort of thing," he explains.
Eventually he began to carve. He took lessons to perfect the art. "I started out doing carving of birds," he says. But this wasn't because of a particular love for the animals. "Back then, that was the only instruction available and there was very little in the library about carving."
Thompson graduated from birds to fish, but then became interested in cartooning. "Then I found I really enjoyed doing caricatures," he says. "Because I'm a police officer, my work is mostly of police officers."
Another interest in his life also gets set into wood. "I'm also in the Highland pipe band, so I carve drummers and pipers and that type of thing."
Although Thompson doesn't carve full time, he does find many customers for his pieces. "I'm usually working on some for commission," he says. But not all of his works are for sale.
This year, Thompson completed his favorite caricature to date. "It's five little policemen eating doughnuts," he says of the piece that revolves on a Lazy Susan base. The sculpture earned first place at a carving competition.
So what could an award-winning piece fetch on the market? "I haven't got it for sale," Thompson admits. "It's hard to part with them, especially when they have a ribbon on them. They're something to be proud of."