Christen Dokk Smith at Henry Nolla's Carving Shed
To continue this art walk, head towards the Dan Law’s Driftwood Ravens on two plinths overlooking North Chesterman Beach.
These conversations with the carvers, George Yearsley and Christen Dokk Smith were recorded in the historic Henry Nolla Carving Shed on Chesterman Beach on the Wickaninnish Inn property.
Christen Dokk Smith is a classically trained Norwegian carver who studied at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway, and with local Indigenous carvers after he moved to Canada’s west coast.
Christen learned to sit in quiet contemplation with the wood, and to listen to it speak. With his deep new connection to the wood, Christen began working exclusively with salvaged wood.
This included participating in the oneTree Project . Christen was one of 46 artisans selected to carve pieces of old-growth Bigleaf Maple from Cowichan Valley, which had to be taken down due to safety reasons. His sculpture, Inside Out as a boy discovers a tree, was part of the oneTree exhibition (2015) held at the Robert Bateman Centre in Victoria, BC.
Christen is an active participant in Tofino’s Carving on the Edge Festival where he has provided workshops and talks on Viking carving, as well as artisanal tool-sharpening demos.
To learn more about this artist and his work, please visit: christendokksmith.com
