Meet the Artist...

"I was born and raised in North Dakota, but moved away to find better financial opportunities. But, like the old saying goes, 'The grass is greener over the fence', it isn't always true. I moved back to North Dakota in 1987 to live in the Turtle Mountains. This is an area of woods and lakes that run along the Canadian border for about 40 miles and has about 2000 lakes, and I live at one that is called Boundary Lake, because part of it is in Canada.

I started carving ducks and wildlife when I first came to North Dakota. I have attended many art and carving shows and have received numerous Best of Show and blue ribbons. I have attended the Charlie Russell Art Shows in Great Falls for several years, wild life art shows in Minneapolis, and many others in the upper Midwest. I am self taught in both carving and sculpture and teach both around North Dakota.

I have produced 2 larger than life size statues in bronze. One of them is in the Scandinavian Heritage Park in Minot, ND. It is of Leif Eriksson. The other is in Bottineau, ND and is 7 ft. 3 inches tall, of a famous guide and explorer, Pierre Bottineau, who the city was named after.

I think I get a lot of my inspiration from the beautiful surroundings I live in. Our area has very much wildlife, such as deer, moose, grouse, ducks, and the occasional bear and mountain lion. The winters here are long and quiet, and that is conducive to uninterrupted hours in the shop. Each duck I carve takes anywhere from between 2 and 3 hundred hours, so I need a lot of quiet time to get anything accomplished."