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Wood carving artist Fred Cogelow has his work on display at the Brandenburg Gallery in Luverne through Aug. 19.
Cogelow, Willmar, is known for mezzo (“middle”) relief portraiture, which are are linear compositions enhanced by depth.
His honors over 40 years include 17 Best of Show Awards at the International Woodcarvers Congress in Davenport, Iowa, and “Woodcarving Illustrated” named him 2013 Woodcarver of the Year.
The majority of Cogelow’s carvings are in butternut, with some basswood and black walnut, and nearly all the wood he uses for carving is from timber that he harvested and dried himself.
Among the woodcarving tools in his studio hangs a sign with a quote from Thomas Edison that reads, “To invent you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”
He describes carving as both an artistic and a logical endeavor, but he said he’s been carving for so long and works so intuitively that he finds it difficult to put the creative process into words.
“Much of it is the practice of learning to see — to see what you actually wish to do, and to see what you’ve actually done to that point — rather than believing what your brain tells you you’re seeing,” he said. “A lot of it boils down to simple engineering.”
An artist’s reception will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 17, in the Brandenburg Gallery at 213 East Luverne Street (located east of the courthouse). Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.