Harley Refsal is an internationally recognized figure carver, specializing in

Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving The Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving is a style of figure carving. The figures are carved in large flat planes, created primarily using a carving knife. Tool marks are left in the carving and very little (if any) rounding or sanding ...

Background

Carver was born and raised on a farm near

Hoffman, Minnesota Hoffman is a city in Grant County, Minnesota, United States, along the Chippewa River. The population was 681 at the 2010 census. History Hoffman was platted in 1887, and named for Robert C. Hoffman, a railroad official. A post office has been ...

, which was homesteaded by his

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

-immigrant grandparents. He began working in wood as a young boy. His father, a carpenter and farmer, and a woodworker uncle who lived nearby kept him well supplied with wood, tools, and encouragement.

Career

Refsal lived in Norway in the 1960s and again in the 1980s, and has traveled extensively throughout

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

. Upon retiring from full-time teaching at Luther College,

Decorah, Iowa Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,587 at the time of the 2020 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S. Route 52, and is the largest commun ...

in 2010, he holds the title Professor Emeritus of Scandinavian

Folk Art Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative. The makers of folk art are typically tr ...

. Since the 1980s, Refsal, who speaks fluent

, has shared his knowledge of and skills in Scandinavian-style flat-plane figure carving with thousands of carvers through courses and presentations in North America and in Scandinavia. Refsal is an Emeritus Member of the

Caricature Carvers of America In 1989, a group of ten wood carvers, with the common goal of promoting the art of caricature carving, met in the back room of Paxton Lumber Co. in Fort Worth, Texas to discuss the formation of a national organization to further that goal. From t ...

. In 1996 he was decorated by H.M.

Harald V Harald V ( no, Harald den femte, ; born 21 February 1937) is King of Norway. He acceded to the throne on 17 January 1991. Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the li ...

King of Norway The Norwegian monarch is the head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line back to the reign of Harald Fairhair and the previous petty kingd ...

, receiving the St. Olav's Medal, in recognition of his role in reinvigorating and popularizing Scandinavian figure carving in both North America and Norway. Refsal teaches carving at a variety of course centers through the U.S., including Vesterheim Museum, Decorah, IA; North House Folk School, Grand Marais, MN; Milan Village Arts School, Milan, MN; Norsk Wood Works, Barronett, WI; and the John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, NC. He was named 2012 Woodcarver of the Year by Woodcarving Illustrated Magazine.

Education

* B.A.,

Augsburg College Augsburg University is a private university in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It was founded in 1869 as a Norwegian-American Lutheran seminary known as Augsburg Seminarium. Today, the u ...

, Minneapolis, Minnesota * Eksamen Filosophicum,

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

* M. Div.,

Luther Theological Seminary Luther Seminary is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is the largest seminary of the ELCA. It also accepts and educates students of 41 other denominations and traditions. It is accredited ...

, St. Paul, Minnesota * Cand. Mag.,

Telemark University College Telemark University College (TUC, no, Høgskolen i Telemark, HiT) was, until its merger, the fourth largest university college in Norway. The University College had about 7000 students, split between four different locations in Bø, Notodden, Por ...

Rauland Rauland is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1860 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Vinje Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Raulandsgrend (also known ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

Publications

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Refsal, Harley American woodcarvers Norwegian woodcarvers American people of Norwegian descent Augsburg University alumni University of Oslo alumni Living people People from Grant County, Minnesota Year of birth missing (living people)