Talented 89 Yr Old Carves His Way to Tribes Hill Heritage Center

Rotterdam local Carl Borst has been carving wood into beautiful works of art for nearly 30 years now. Currently 87 years old, he first started carving during his 60's after he saw a demonstration of the art form and fell in love with it. Carl has turned into quite the aficionado when it comes to woodcarving, primarily teaching himself the technique (The Daily Gazette). Always having been an artist, the transition to woodcarving was relatively easy for this talented artist, but not for lack of hard work.

When I got involved with it, I really, really wanted to become good at it. So I’ve spent many, many hours on it, trying to make every piece better than the last one. -Carl Borst (Indiana Nash, The Daily Gazette)

Carl's skills are so impressive, multiple students of the craft have asked him for tips, especially when it comes to his masterful recreation of the human form. He explains to Indiana Nash at the Daily Gazette that once you are able to successfully carve a human, you can carve nearly anything. He also expresses his love for the craft:

I got so interested in it, it forced me into retiring because I was sitting at work thinking about what I was gonna carve when I came home... About six months after I joined the [carving] club, some of the members were coming to me to find out how I did certain things. -Carl Borst (Indiana Nash, The Daily Gazette)

As The Daily Gazette reports, Carl, a member of the Mohawk Valley Art & Woodcarving Association, has written for the National Wood Carver's Association magazine. Clearly, this man is an expert in his field, and his dedication to the craft exemplifies that. He worked on his latest project, a bald eagle flying with a fish in its claws, for about 90 hours total! This piece, made out of white pine, will be commissioned by the Tribes Hill Heritage Center, an educational group that features Native American culture and history.