Western Maple Coffee Table

Western maple with polished steel legs.

65" x 20" x 18"

Legs courtesy of Mash Bits welding shop (Calgary, Alberta)

Taylor 306

Most people will agree that when a great wind blows through a field of tall grass or wheat it resembles waves in the sea. Katsushika Hokusai was a Japanese artist who created the masterpiece above "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" using the wood block print method.

Seeing Hokusai's print helped me crystalize memories of my youth when I helped harvest fields of wheat on summer vacation.

I used Adobe Illustrator to design a T-shirt featuring a Great Wave of wheat looming large over a football stadium in  Regina. Taylor 306 is a nod to Neil Joseph "Piffles" Taylor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piffles_Taylor

Ken Dryden Hockey Mask

In 1971, Ken Dryden won his first Stanley Cup, as well as the Conn Smythe trophy (playoff MVP).

Though only eight years old at the time I remember his calm under pressure and of course, his trademark standing pose. He inspired me to try out for goaltending on the local mite team.

This is a hand carved mask (14" x 9" x 6") made from Poplar wood.

When freshly cut, poplar wood has hardness much like a Granny Smith apple. But with each week the wood rapidly dries to hard wood like toughness.

This mask is successful not only because of the great subject but also because no cracking occurred. Next time you look at a log you might see cracking on the outside. This happens because the outside looses its moisture before the inside of the log. Carving off equal amounts from the front and back of the mask produced even drying and a memorable result.

Celebration Day (Bison Mask part four)

"King" the bison mask is complete!

This mask is the most ambitious & challenging project yet. Mixing mediums (cedar, soapstone, bronze leaf guilding) is an exciting & seductive concept however it does create some unique challenges.

Maybe that's what it is all about. Dreaming large and working hard. Hoping it all comes together. You be the judge. I invite you to leave a comment below.

Thanks again to all of you that offered encouragement.

-Norm Larsen

People ask what else I have been working on.

Here is a flat panel named "Owls at the Hunt"

27" x 1"

Detail from "Owls at the Hunt"

Here is a another in the series called "Two Owls"

26" x 14" x 3"

Play With the Bull - you Get the Horns (Bison Mask part three)

Creating with soapstone is like working with a diamond. A long dusty process that may or may not work out. Not knowing until the final polish of stone whether or not this effort is good enough.









Recently I finished reading a book “The Last Buffalo Hunter”.
The book recounts the final days of the bison herds across southern Alberta and Saskatchewan as told by a Metis buffalo hunter/trader. When I read this account I wondered if hunters noticed the bison herds drastic decline. Did they sense they may be killing the last wild bison?
Or whether it was like any other hunt through the ages; bring home some meat for their family like we bring home groceries from Safeway.






Hope these pictures show the “before and after” of roughing and finishing of soapstone.
It really is a wonderful medium to work with.
My kids enjoy it . I enjoy it.
Hope you enjoy it.

Center Line (Bison Mask part two)

Welcome back to the next step in the making of a Bison mask called “King”
The Bison mask is slowly taking shape thanks to my trusty adze. An adze (sometimes spelt adz) is an ancient tool yet it is as effective today in the roughing stage as it was thousands of years ago. The Bison’s features are slowly emerging.

Essentially, I am laying out a design in 3D on the fly. The freedom is great however I am constantly concerned I will remove too much and ruin the mask. In the absence of a blueprint, each cut is guided by the center line.

It seems funny that a single pencil line drawn through center of a mask will ultimately be the most important act in the creation of the mask. This vertical center line runs down the forehead, between the eyes, follows the gentle contours of the nose and finally ends at the Bison’s chin.

Maintaining the center line allows me to achieve symmetry and overall balance.

The future is an exciting place full of the promise of new projects. In this great future I sometimes forget my past. Could it be that dreaming of the future yet still remembering my past is life’s center line?

So I want to acknowledge my past and thank those who helped me along the way.
Thank you (in no particular order);
Grant Berg – for suggesting a blog in the first place (check out www.grantcberg.blogspot.com for some amazing art)
Rick Wolcott – for being a fine teacher and amazing tool builder
Maggi McIvor – for helping with photography, wood sourcing and Tibetan adzes
The Sunset Gang - for allowing me to carve at the office and encouragement
My family – for time, encouragement and understanding
To early Patrons – thank you for believing in my work

-Norm Larsen

"King" - Mask project (step-by-step)

Hello Everyone

Today, I'll briefly describe my latest mask project which I have titled "King".

Living in the rolling foothills of Calgary, it is easy to imagine the vast herds of bison that roamed the prairies. Strong. Majestic. Like Kings

The goal is to combine red cedar and soapstone to represent the spirit of the bison.

In the same way that painters make field sketches before beginning a painting, I began the process with a simple Plasticine model. It's actually fun to be able to work this stuff over and over until it pleasing to the eye.

Step Two in making a large mask was to make a smaller mask from yellow cedar and soapstone.

Yellow cedar grows slowly, high up in the mountains so the wood grain is very fine and strong. The goal here was to make a small mask and then add the Brazilian soapstone horns, and see if it was a happy marriage.

Step Three was to find the largest block of cedar available in Calgary. After a long search I was able to find a 24" by 14" block of red cedar. It was exciting to carry this extremely large chunk of wood home. I could feel and see the potential in it. It weighed more than my daughter!

So now comes the hard work. Hand carving in the traditional ways, I will use an adz to rough out the shape and then a straight knife to do the detailed work.

The additional challenge involves learning about soapstone and how to create a set of horns suitable for "King".

I feel like I am embarking into unknown territory. Alberta artists such as Susan Cardinal have created wonderful bison paintings.

However there seems to be no tradition of bison masks in Alberta. This motivates me to put my best into "King". My hope that viewers will pause for a moment when they see the finished mask, and ponder the beauty and history of the plains bison.

Cheers, thanks for coming by.

Norm Larsen