Levi Borgstrom
| Levi Borgstrom | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Levi Petrus Borgstrom 7 November 1919 Lycksele, Sweden |
| Died |
25 July 2001 (aged 81) Titirangi, New Zealand |
| Nationality | Swedish, New Zealander |
| Known for | Woodturning, carving |
Levi Petrus Borgstrom (7 November 1919 – 25 July 2001) was a Swedish-New Zealand carver.
Early life
Borgstrom was born in Lycksele, Sweden in 1919. As a teenager, he began using his father’s tools to carve wooden cutlery and crockery and was strongly influenced by Lapp and Norrland settler culture. His career was largely focused upon spoon carving.[1]
Career
In 1951, he moved to New Zealand and began incorporating New Zealand resources into his Scandinavian-influenced works. He used New Zealand and introduced timbers in his works, including kowhai, tanekaha, akeake, rewarewa, manuka, macrocarpa, cherry wood, privet, mangrove, and silky oak.[2]
Borgstrom worked by drawing a design on a piece of wood and roughly creating the shape using a Scandinavian bow saw. He would then use knives and chisels to further refine the carving, followed by work with files and rasps. The final stages of creating a spoon included sanding, waxing and oiling.[2]
Collections
His work is held in the collection of the Auckland War Memorial Museum and the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia.[1][3]
References
- 1 2 Blumhardt, Doreen; Brake, Brian (1981). Craft New Zealand: The art of the craftsman. Auckland: A.H. & A.W. Reed. p. 280. ISBN 0 589 01343 2.
- 1 2 "Levi Borgstrom". Objectspace. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- ↑ "92/1435 Spoon, wood, Levi Borgstrom, New Zealand, 1970-1979". Powerhouse Museum. Retrieved 10 December 2014.