This page features the Nordic arts and crafts that I create. I have a special connection to my family's Viking heritage, so I am adamant about getting my hands on the types of crafts that my ancestors were proficient at but are all but lost today. Many of these arts I engage in simply to keep them alive, but others I consider useful, and necessary for practical purposes, such as woodworking.
Dragon Box At right, a detail from a sword box that I made to contain two Viking-era swords I own. This is in the center of the upper half on the front door to the box. The image is a mosaic made with walnut, red oak and yellow poplar. My neighbor, an African artist, suggested to burnish with charcoal where the wood meets. Nice touch!
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Viking Shield This is a shield that I made for a cultural exhibition. It is made much the same way shields were made in the 10th century. According to the Icelandic Sagas, shields were made from planks of wood, planed by hand to the desired thickness, and affixed with wooden dowels. Once formed, the shape was cut, sometimes round and sometimes oval. This one is round. Then, the center boss was hammered from a flat piece of steel, and riveted with copper rivets over a hole in the center. A piece of wood was then riveted on the back-side vertically to serve as a handle, and the edge was wrapped with leather. For this shield, I sanded the planks to fit finely together, then I hammered them together with only oiled dowell pins to hold it. The center boss was made by Jan Petersen. The leather was afixed with period iron tacks. This shield is adorned with a carving of a dragon, and the carved grooves filled with charcoal and oil. I've adopted the inter-twined dragon symbol for most all my Norsk art. This shield features two dragons that look at one another. |
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