Chasing Arnold Flaten

There is no space for fear.. 2021, 15", oiled walnut and brass collection of M. Sheie, Portland OR A gift for my brother Steve, facing significant health challenges that ultimately took him.  He was craftsman with high standards, varied interests, and a deep love for others. There is something special about the grain and color of walnut that makes it deep and rich, and the contrast with the polished brass is striking. " There is no space for fear "  I think it's from a text in a Rene Clausen choral work.. I'll find it here somewhere.. where did I put that?  Choral geeks--help!  

  Ojibwe Prayer 2022 Oiled white birch, 36"x36"x2" in the collection of S. Gens, Hudson WI An Ojibwe prayer, used by Minnesota author William Kent Krueger in his writings.  The decision was made to use the phonetic spelling for the final benediction at the bottom right of the panel. The three icons represent the eagle feather, the spruce tree and the two acorns

  Lord, You Have Called Your Servants (3rd Ed.) 2018 Oiled white birch, 50"x36"x2" Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, Minneapolis MN Originally this edition was done for the National Lutheran Choir, and was displayed at various concert venues.  As a consequence of the 2021-2022 pandemic years, the panel didn't move much, since 'in-person' concerts by the choir were suspended.  As a result, this version of 'Servants' was placed in its permanent home at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church on Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis.

The Gift Box II 2022, commissioned by L. Holmen, Cold Spring MN  oiled walnut, 15"x6"x6" Not a jewelry box, but more a place for those special cards or letters from a loved one that you keep for years..  Given to a granddaughter, to celebrate her confession of faith. "Be strong and courageous Do not be frightened or dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

  Lord, You Have Called Your Servants 2020 Oiled white birch, 32"x36"x2" St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Bloomington MN This is another edition of a well-known and well-loved prayer.  I have finished seven or eight versions of this in walnut, in a horizontal layout; this is the first in 'paragraph' format, with corresponding icon miniatures on the side.   The icons, from top down:  sun/clouds of creation, the cross, shock of wheat, dotted eighth note of music, the star, the acorn seed, and the sprout of new growth.

  The Beatitudes 2020 Minnesota walnut, series of seven panels each 48"x36", 1.5"thick Memorial commissioned for Marion Sheie at St. Luke Lutheran Church, Portland OR After the passing of a dear aunt, Marion Sheie, I entered the new narthex of her church, St. Luke Lutheran in Portland, Oregon.  Just above the entrance doors of the sanctuary was a huge--blank--triangular wall that called for something to fill it.  After much deliberation with cousins and in turn, their deliberation with church leadership, I submitted a proposal for a series of seven carvings focused on the Beatitudes from the book of Luke.  This made a lot of sense in that St. Luke in Portland has a strong sense of social justice, and the texts will withstand the test of time. At left is the back of the third carving, showing a picture of Marion and Ernie Sheie as well as my normal 'signature' for my work. Late in 2020 I was able to deliver the finished work to Portland and begin the installation....

  To a Skylark 2014 cherry,12"x84" collection of the artist, Anoka MN With deep gratitude to fellow choral singer and St. Olaf friend Eldri Wittkamper.. We just wanted to stop by and see the house where Eldri's relative lived, one of the Roe family who taught voice at St. Olaf.  We knocked on the door, and it turns out the house was occupied by the mayor of Northfield, who invited us in.   My jaw dropped when I saw it--the style was unmistakeable--it was a Flaten work surrounding the mantelpiece at the fireplace.  The text is a selection from Percy Bysshe Shelley, "To a Skylark": Higher still and higher From the earth thou springest Like a cloud of fire; The blue deep thou wingest, And singing still dost soar, and soaring ever singest. Since we couldn't guarantee access to the house in the future, it was a stroke of luck that Eldri had a rubbing of the work, an exact copy.  From the rubbing, I was able to reproduce the carving exactly as Arnold did it.  I g...

 Non Moriar 20"x20"x2" walnut burl with brass accent Donated to The Dwelling Place to support women and children in crisis and recovery. "Non mortar sed vivam et narrabo opera Dominum"  This is the Latin text of the rare choral work by Martin Luther:   I shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord.. The Latin text is scribed around three sides of the edge of the wood, with the face surface in English.

For the Kingdom &  I Have Come 12"x24"x2" cherry 1999, collections of J. Horn and R. Groehler This was one of two works that I lost track of.. the influence of Flaten should be obvious. In 2020, I found two photos in our files that began a search for the whereabout of these carvings.  There's a long and emotional story behind them that involves St. Olaf College music, and suffice it to say that we were visited by two angels who provided something surprising, generous, and unexpected.  In deepest gratitude,  these two pieces were given to the individuals as a gift of thanks.

In Pleasant Places Red oak, 24"x36"x2"   1977 and 2020 Originally done in 1977 for the 40th anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Meyer of Sheboygan, WI Retaining the original design, the piece was redone in 2020, updating the circular text for readability and refinishing the oiled oak. The text is from Psalm 16, taken from the headstone of Rev. Gustav Meyer, Vincent's father, in the Sheboygan Lutheran cemetery.   

The Gift Box I 2005  walnut, 18" tall, 9" each side     unknown location (K. Arneson?) Heavy walnut box highlighting the gifts of the Spirit, with supporting texts on each side.. this is an example of where the woodgrain becomes part of the design, supporting and highlighting the texts.

The Viola Studio            2001, maple 24"x 4"  collection of Eva Sheie Kiser Sometimes just for fun, I'll try something different.  For daughter and musician Eva, this was just to see if we could create a relief image of the viola, the music of which I have come to love through her.  It was challenging to cut away the background with a textured effect to highlight the instrument.

Peace and Grace   2019  for Torunn and Pat Harty walnut, 18"x24", votive candle stand w/brass Some texts and choral works are deep in the traditions of the college choirs of the Midwest, and this one is from " E'en so, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come " by Paul Manz.  This is a beloved work, sung often by The Gustavus Choir, The National Lutheran Choir, and many others.  The work arose from a medical crisis in the Manz family, and I'm sure it resonated again with Torunn (alto) and Pat after a difficult year.  I was honored to use the text, and grateful to be asked to do it for them.

Psalm 23 70x20", white birch. Dec 2019 Zion Lutheran Church, Anoka MN commissioned by D. Legrid in memory of husband, David Done as a matching piece to another birch prayer panel, also in the Zion chapel (the Hebrews 'great cloud of witnesses ' text).  The chapel also includes the columbarium, and it was important to use a text that fit the space and the function.  It's a text of great comfort to many, those who have lost loved ones, but also those who pray and meditate in that quiet space. Thirteen shelves are used for votive candles, usually in the color of the season of the church year.

The Peace Post Minnesota walnut, 6x6x60", November 2019  This work was acquired by Linda Holmen in support of the National Lutheran Choir, and is in the Holmen collection in St. Cloud, MN. Given a dry old walnut 6x6, I pondered for quite a while what to do with it.. it didn't make sense to mill it into boards.. then I remembered a few other 3D works that might apply in this case-- an 'ujamaa' (an ebony carving of the village or family, from Tanzania) and the central obelisk in Oslo, Norway in the Vigeland sculpture park.. Rather than figures, mine uses repeated text of 'love-joy-peace' with the open cathedral arch in the center for a votive candle.  There's also a slot for another candle at the top, not shown in this pic.  this is also reminiscent of the entry beams of the Art Barn at St. Olaf.  Arnold left several corners of those beams unfinished, waiting for someone else to contribute.

 Nunc Dimittis 1983, four panels each 32"x48", oiled red oak collection of Faith Lutheran Church, Coon Rapids MN Commissioned by Faith Lutheran and dedicated to my grandfather, Torkel Sheie, who gave us the gift of craftsmanship and a love and appreciation for wood.  Born in Orteland/Mandal, Norway, he emigrated to the US and lived the remainder of his years on Staten Island NY, where he worked for the ferry system and ran his own business building skis in the shop behind the house.  The shop was magical:  full of raw wood, dry wood, hand tools, old ski posters from Norway and Europe, power tools, ski-building machines that he made himself.. we spend hours in there, and the smell of hickory and ash floods those memories back to this day. It took a little courage to decide to cut through the oak around each image, exposing the wall behind.  It sets each one apart, and I'm glad I did it that way.  The first panel uses the image of the 'sufferin...

This is the 'original' Psalm 16 carving, done in 1977 in red oak for the 40th anniversary of Vincent and Verna Meyer, my in-laws.  The oak was salvaged from discarded pallets and glued up into a panel 24" x 36".  The first design was pretty much unreadable, so I chiseled out the circular text and re-did it with incised text in the modified-Bremen font.  Sanded and re-oiled, it came out OK.   24" x 36" red oak Collection of M. Sheie, 2020 Psalm 16:6   16"x24", black walnut with brass Collection of M. Sheie, 2018 Mary has long waited for some edition of this verse, which was originally used on the headstone of her paternal grandfather, a pastor from Sheboygan, WI.  Long discussion about the use of the text, and since the headstone used the more archaic form, I went with that here also.  It uses three votives with brass accents.  Somehow I always love the moment when I rub in oil after the carving is done, and the wood 'lights up', reveal...

I Am the Light of the World 12"x36", black walnut with brass, 2018 Collection of D. and C. Folin, Minneapolis I experimented with a few different ideas for a 'meditative' piece, one that could be adapted to different locations-- wall-mounted, on a shelf, mantelpiece.. I deliberately pushed the layout in an asymmetrical format, with the votive candles on the right and the text on the upper left.  The brass serves to underscore the text and balance out the design.

Prayer Wall St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church Plymouth MN 2017 Oiled black walnut, 68" x 68" Using ancient texts as well as contemporary additions, this prayer is taken from the liturgies of the Lutheran church.  It is divided into four quadrants, reading top left to top right, then bottom left to bottom right. There's something about the sensitivity of this text that has always struck me.. the intimacy and kindness to the poor, the closeness to the human condition while still being Creator of the stars and universe.