Rick Jensen

Rick Jensen has been carving since the age of seven, when his father gave him his first pocket knife. Growing up along the Missouri River Bottoms in North Dakota, times were hard. The knife’s first job was to help Rick’s father cut up bait to catch sturgeon which were sold to the local butcher for extra money. When Rick’s pocket knife wasn’t being used to help out the family, he put it to good use whittling sticks, thus beginning his life-long love of woodcarving.

While in high school in 1965, Rick carved his first decorative piece, a ram, made from a two by six inch piece of redwood purchased at the local lumberyard. This piece still hangs in his home as a reminder of how his career has progressed over the years.

After taking some time away from his art to serve in Vietnam, marry his wife Jody, gain a post-secondary education and begin raising his family of three daughters, Rick resumed woodcarving in 1984. It was at this time that Rick was first introduced to carving cottonwood bark, which would soon became his passion.

After seeing a cottonwood bark house carved by a friend, Rick’s interest was sparked. He began developing his own techniques for

carving “whimsical houses” out of cottonwood bark. Soon his style of woodcarving was in high demand. He began teaching classes throughout the United States and Canada, won Best of Show and People’s Choice Awards at numerous woodcarving competitions and was asked to be a part of the book, “Carving Found Wood” by Jack A. Williams and Vic Hood.

Rick’s international popularity as a woodcarver and instructor continued to grow. He was asked by Fox Chapel Publishing to co-author the highly successful book, “Illustrated Guide to Carving Tree Bark”. He is featured in Woodcarving Illustrated’s “Handcarved Christmas” and has written numerous articles for “Woodcarving Illustrated” magazine. Rick has also had the privilege of having one of his whimsical bark tree houses “in the round” featured on the cover of the National Woodcarver’s Association “Chip Chats”magazine and has created an instructional DVD.

Rick Jensen is widely recognized by his peers as a master woodcarver whose influence, especially in the area of cottonwood bark carving, can be easily recognized throughout the world. Perhaps stated best by Carl Wiggins, the American representative for Geisler– Morder Woodcarving School in Austria, “Rick’s work is the most innovative thing to come out of woodcarving in 100 years!”