Fjord Horse

I've been working on a folk art carving of a Fjord horse for a class. It's 3 1/4 inches tall by 3 1/2 inches long. The wood I have is 7/8 inch thick. I like the high mane but with the saddle I had to shorten the mane. I'm lengthening the body a little on my pattern. With my shaky hands I kept a simple pattern and still kept with tradition of this carving. I wood burnt the pattern on one, it is sanded and has a natural finish. The other two I left the carving marks and they are painted with acrylics. I plan to use some other colors as well.     

Dala Horse

The Dala horse from Sweden has a great story and tradition. In the winter of 1716, while King Charles XII of Sweden waged war throughout most of Europe, many soldiers were quartered in private homes in the Mora area of Sweden. Because of the severe winter and the war, all suffered from the lack of food and warmth. Tradition has it that one soldier, in his spare time, carved a Dala horse from some scrap wood in the home he was staying. Before presenting it to the child of the home for a gift, he painted it bright red. This was the available color in this area, being a bi product of a copper mine. He decorated the horse with a kurbit painting for the harness and saddle. The use of kurbits as a decorative motifs on the horse came from the soldier's deep religious background. Today they are manufactured in Sweden in different colors and the saddles are painted by double loading the brush for the saddle. I carved two different sizes. The one 3 inches tall and 1 inch thick looked better to me. The other one was 4 inches tall and 1 1/2 inch thick. I wanted them to look more like the older Dala horses so they are not sanded and the paint job is simpler.

Hang Ten

This Orca or Killer Whale was carved and painted in the Northwest Native American style. My hands aren't as steady for the small lines as I wish. This carving is just 4 inches long. The Killer Whale belongs to the Dolphin's family. The males can grow as large as 32 feet and the females can reach 32 feet. The dorsal fin can reach 6 feet high in males. The Killer Whales live in and hunt in pods (groups). They work together to circle the herd prey area before attacking. They feed on salmon, herring, seals, sea lions, sharks, and smaller whales. Each tooth can be about 3 inches long and 2.5 inches in diameter. They communicate through a wide variety of sounds such as clicks, whistles and pulsed calls.

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