DEBORAH MILLS WOODCARVING
CUSTOM WORK: CARVED BY HAND WITH CHISELS, MALLET & PASSION
One-of-a-Kind Limited Edition Original Design Reproduction
43-32 22nd Street, #204-1, Long Island City, NY 11101
Email: [email protected]
Copyright © 1990 - 2014 Deborah A. Mills, all rights reserved.
I've been carving wood professionally since 1991. I studied wood sculpture with Lorrie Goulet at the Art Students League of New York and, while living in Norway, trained with master woodcarver Erik Fridstrøm at the Viking Ships Museum in Oslo. In 1991 Mr. Fridstrøm hired me to assist him in carving a full scale replica of the twelve-foot-tall Ål Portal, an 800 year old stave church doorway in the collection of the Historical Museum in Oslo. (See the Liturgical Doorway page to view work-in-progress photos of all stages of the project.)
I design and carve every commission by hand, using chisels and mallet in a meticulous process that has altered little over millennia. I am adept at designing original patterns and themes to meet clients' needs, as well as in replicating the styles of many historical periods. I carve in a wide variety of woods, among them pine, cherry, walnut, oak, maple, mahogany, teak and basswood.
I work with architects, designers, restoration experts, museums, cabinet makers and individuals on architectural restoration projects as well as new construction to create one-of-a-kind or limited series designs - from decorative relief panels to furniture to architectural elements like doors, doorways, mantelpieces, capitals, cornices, friezes, and other ornamental details. I also accept commissions for original sculptures.
My carving studio is in Long Island City, just across the East River from mid-town Manhattan. I invite you to join me there in small session woodcarving classes where I teach the tools and techniques of traditional relief woodcarving. I've previously taught workshops and classes at The American Folk Art Museum, Peters Valley Craft Center, 3rd Ward, Eastfield Village and The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. I've demonstrated carving in many settings over the decades, among them the Medieval Festival at Fort Tryon, NY, The Norwegian-American museum in Decorah, IA, the Traditional Building Conferences in Boston, the Mechanics Library in NYC, and the Preservation Trades Network conferences.
In January 2011 I appeared on the Martha Stewart show during her special segment on woodworking. In November 2013 I was selected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to join a small group of designers and specialists to discuss the objects, themes, and possible installation approaches in advance of the Met’s reinstallation of the British galleries in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Art. Memberships have included the Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America; the Preservation Trades Network; the Furniture Society; the Association for Preservation Technology, Northeast Chapter; Historic New England; Furniture New York; and the Interstitial Arts Foundation.
