{"id":16164,"date":"2017-02-11T00:07:47","date_gmt":"2017-02-11T07:07:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/?p=16164"},"modified":"2017-02-12T00:39:41","modified_gmt":"2017-02-12T07:39:41","slug":"billings-native-throws-himself-into-art-of-norwegian-carving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/2017\/02\/billings-native-throws-himself-into-art-of-norwegian-carving\/","title":{"rendered":"Billings native throws himself into art of Norwegian carving"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"slides-16164\" class=\"navis-slideshow\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"slide-nav\">\n\n\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" class=\"prev\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" class=\"next\"><\/a>\n\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"slides_container\"><div id=\"16164-slide1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCF0901.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCF0901-771x501.jpg\" \/><\/a><h6>Desiree Kling <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>Greg Aldrich shows the custom-made picture frame that he will be submitting to a craftman's contest this summer.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"16164-slide2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCF0900.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCF0900-771x458.jpg\" \/><\/a><h6>Desiree Kling <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>A close-up shows a  dragon Aldrich carved on the picture frame.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"16164-slide3\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCF0892-771x429.jpg*771*429\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCF0892.jpg\" \/><h6>Desiree Kling <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>Aldrich was working on this carved bowl, which comes with plastic inserts so you don't have to wash the wooden vessel.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"16164-slide4\" data-src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCF0893-1-771x461.jpg*771*461\" data-href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCF0893-1.jpg\" \/><h6>Desiree Kling <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>A tine box with kolrosing details.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"16164-slide5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCF0895.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCF0895-771x407.jpg\" \/><\/a><h6>Desiree Kling <a href=\"#\" class=\"slide-permalink\">permalink<\/a><\/h6><p>A drawing of a stave church.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><script>jQuery( document ).ready( function() { loadSlideshow( 16164, 'https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/2017\/02\/billings-native-throws-himself-into-art-of-norwegian-carving\/', 5 ) } );<\/script>\n<p>Walking down the steps to Greg Aldrich\u2019s basement workshop, one enters a kind of wonderland filled with ornate and elegant Norwegian woodcarvings and countless tools. The air is scented from the piles of basswood ready to be carved into beautiful pieces.<\/p>\n<p>A group of woodcarvers studying under Aldrich gather around their works in progress\u2014small, decorative, oval containers known in Norway as tine (pronounced <em>tee-nah<\/em>) boxes. Aldrich sits quietly in a chair, watching their progress intently. Aldrich, born and raised in Billings, started practicing the craft only 10 years ago.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Aldrich said the lumberyard he used to own created works for many years for Playhouse Parades, a fundraiser for at-risk kids, which involved auctioning off custom-made playhouses. One year, Aldrich thought of making a playhouse based on stabburs, Norwegian farm buildings used for storing meat and other products.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe went to the Sons of Norway and asked them if they wanted to participate with us making the playhouse, which we donated out to the mall,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The Sons of Norway did, and one of them, Ray Albert, got Aldrich started on Norwegian carvings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt just kind of came about,\u201d Aldrich said. \u201cAs soon as I\u2019d have one design, I\u2019d ask my teacher to do another for me for another project. Each one you\u2019d do would be harder and more intertwining\u2014more things just to push you. So it\u2019s been fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_16167\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 336px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"addboard wp-image-16167 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCF0906.jpg\" alt=\"Acanthus\" width=\"336\" height=\"372\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Desiree Kling<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is one of two door panels Aldrich carved in the acanthus style.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Aldrich&#8217;s heritage is English, but his wife, Thora, is half Norwegian, and both are now active members of the Sons of Norway. They have also visited Norway with other woodcarvers several times in the past few years to study woodcarving in more detail.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we went over there they had the museums lined up and they would tell them what we wanted to see,\u201d Aldrich said. \u201cBefore we got there the curators would go down into their permanent collections and get the best cr\u00e8me de la cr\u00e8me from Norway and set them out in separate rooms that we could go into that the public wasn\u2019t allowed. We could handle them, look at them, take pictures, sketch\u2014do whatever we wanted. We were doing a couple of museums a day for 30 days in a row. We were moving all over Norway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aldrich said that Norwegian woodcarving originated in rural Norway, and was most often done in the winter. The carvers used a variety of techniques, including long-tool carving, kolrosing and chip carving to make products for their homes.<\/p>\n<p>Long-tool carving refers to carving with elongated knives; kolrosing is the art of decorating the wood by slicing thin lines into the wood and filling them in with a dark substance, creating a tattoo look; and chip carving involves using knives and tools to chip away small pieces of wood to create patterns.<\/p>\n<p>These techniques were also applied to churches, along with acanthus carvings. These pieces use the acanthus plant as a model for carving beautiful scrolling leaves and designs into the wood. The oldest churches often had dragon carvings mixed with depictions of their pre-Christian gods. Later, stave churches were built that merged the images of the dragons with images of crosses. Aldrich uses all these techniques in his carvings and practices his skills with the best instructors from around the country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI go to Vesterheim museum for classes in Decorah, Iowa, and the teacher, Hans Sandom, has things all over the world,\u201d Aldrich said. \u201cWhen the United States government invited the king and queen of Norway to our country, the gift box that was carved for them was done by Hans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aldrich has also taken classes from Phil Odden and his wife, Else, who have worked on movie sets.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"well\"><div class=\"dfad dfad_pos_1 dfad_first\" id=\"_ad_652\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/mjhWkW\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/201703_capeair_variable.jpg\" alt=\"CapreAir_Variable\" width=\"510\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18069\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div>\u201cThey\u2019re the ones who have a flatter style, a little different style, and they\u2019re out of Wisconsin,\u201d Aldrich said. \u201cI\u2019ve taken classes from them and they\u2019re the ones that have done all the carving and all the furniture scenes from \u2018Frozen\u2019 for Disney. All their work is on display at Disneyland.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aldrich\u2019s carvings, however, are purely functional. A former architect and lumberyard owner, Aldrich is retired now, and he has no interest in making money off his work. For this woodcarver, the hobby is purely for enjoyment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t carve anything that I don\u2019t use,\u201d he said. Asked if he ever sells his work, he said, \u201cAbsolutely not. How could you sell something that you have two months worth of work into? I don\u2019t mind if my wife wants me to make something for somebody, though. She\u2019ll give it to them and that\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aldrich also enjoys teaching others how to carve. He has been holding classes in the\u00a0basement shop of his West End home in Billings for about six years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s one of the fun things with the Sons of Norway group that we do,\u201d Aldrich explained. \u201cThere are a lot of nice people in there, and they\u2019re all everyday people who like to come in and figure out how to do different things. You don\u2019t have to be Norwegian to be in it either. Obviously, because I\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He holds his classes whenever he\u2019s in Billings and not traveling to learn new carving techniques or exploring the culture in Norway. The classes meet three or four times a year, or, as he jokes, \u201cHowever many times they can twist my arm.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_16172\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 336px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"addboard wp-image-16172 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCF0896.jpg\" alt=\"Knives\" width=\"336\" height=\"263\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Desiree Kling<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Aldrich made all these knives. The leather is from Italy, the blades are from Norway, the wood is from Finland, and the bone is from Norwegian reindeer antlers.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>At the moment, the class is working on Norwegian tine boxes that are large enough to store many items but small enough to sit out on a counter. Aldrich has had members of the Helena Sons of Norway group come down to his shop to teach his students chip carving.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn these tine boxes,\u201d he said, \u201cthey\u2019ll have to chip carve all the lids, and then they\u2019ll kolrose all the sides.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aldrich has many of his own pieces around his shop, including a magnificent picture frame decorated with intricate dragons, acanthus-style door panels, and works made by kolrosing. He intends to submit his picture frame and door to the Vesterheim contest for craftsmen this summer. His method starts with the purchase of high-quality carving wood and making use of a variety of tools.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor carving, the easiest to work with is basswood that has not been kiln dried,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s got to be air-dried. I generally get it from Wisconsin, on the Canadian border. When it\u2019s air-dried it\u2019s not chippy when you carve it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His carving tools are all sharpened to 25 degrees\u2014sharper than a razor blade\u2014and have been obtained from all over.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen (Ray) Albert passed away I bought all of his tools,\u201d he said. \u201cThen, as I go to carving classes, I always try to pick up two or three extra. When I was in Norway I picked up four or five. I also make my own tools. All the ones with the dark walnut are made by me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite his obvious skills and his teaching, Aldrich is humble about his work. His friend Donald Jore called him a master woodcarver, but Aldrich doesn\u2019t think of himself in those terms. He said he just wants to keep on learning and challenging himself to be better.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI look back at my old ones and they\u2019re not as good as my new ones,\u201d Aldrich said. \u201cMy favorite one is generally the last one I do. I keep trying to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Walking down the steps to Greg Aldrich\u2019s basement workshop, one enters a kind of wonderland filled with ornate and elegant Norwegian woodcarvings and countless tools. The air is scented from the piles of basswood ready to be carved into beautiful pieces. A group of woodcarvers studying under Aldrich gather around their works in progress\u2014small, decorative, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":154,"featured_media":16174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[5507,5505,5506],"class_list":["post-16164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diversions","tag-greg-aldrich","tag-norway","tag-sons-of-norway","prominence-top-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/154"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16164\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}