Caledonia Argus

Wood carvers emerge, thanks in part to library

Posted: 10/14/03

George Moe and Joel Crawford have made some interesting discoveries about themselves recently.

The two Caledonia men are tapping into some artistic talent that is new to them and pretty impressive to anyone who has seen it.

And they both can thank the Caledonia Library for helping them along.

Moe, 60, has become an accomplished wood carver thanks to some books he checked out at the library, which is located in the city hall at 231 East Main Street.

Crawford, 25, is now carving some intriguing figures out of tree bark.

Their work was recently on display in the display case outside the library. Head librarian Marla Burns was happy to display it. ìItís pretty neat,î she said on October 8. ìWe have a lot of talent. Many, many people.î

Itís also impressive for her because it shows the results that books can bring for people.

Crawford learned much of his new skill from a book called Carving Wood Spirits in Tree Bark. Heís only been doing it for about three months, but his work is captivating. Faces seem to jump out of bark. Cottonwood is his favorite bark.

ìEach wood takes on its own form,î Crawford said. ìItís hard to explain. I work with how the bark is to carve the face.î

He paused, then added, ìBecause you canít fight the natural features of the bark.î

Wood spirit faces, as these carvings are called, are traditions in a lot of cultures, Crawford said, in particular English and Scottish. He learned that they were used for things like getting children to eat their food. Parents would tell their kids that if they didnít eat, spirits would come out to get them.

Crawford said there is a spiritual side to this art form for him. ìItís a connection to nature and to the bark itself. Itís a way of expressing my own emotions at times.

Itís therapeutic when Iím carving. Itís something I do everyday if I can.î

He hopes to continue with other types of carving, and heíll definitely keep using the library. ìIf I didnít have a library, I donít know what Iíd do,î he said.

George Moe found several wood carving books at the library, including one called How to Carve Wood that he learned a lot from.

Every two weeks when it was due, his wife Mavis, would call the library and ask if the book could be renewed. The ladies would laugh and say yes.

After several renewals he located and bought his own copy.

The ìlibrary ladies,î Marla Burns and Eileen Jacobson, ordered many different carving books for him, plus always encouraged him to keep it up.

Moe said he had always wanted to carve decoys. ìBut I never got around to it. Things kind of fell together and I got going on it,î he said.

The loons are time-consuming. The bodies are made separately from the heads, and the feathers are made using a wood burner. He paints some, and some are stained and varnished.

The librarians also helped him locate a person who carves ìkubbestols,î which are Norwegian log chairs, which is his next project.

George has been carving for about 1-1/2 years. He has more time now that he has retired from his job with the postal service.

George also carves western bolo ties, which receive a lot of compliments.

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