Joe Vukelich – Northern Michigan

Joe Vukelich comes to us from Northern Michigan where he has been carving for over twenty years.  He started with large totem poles very Great North Woods in feel and inspirational.   He then began the search for wood, that led him to look around for found wood.   So in using principally found wood — fence posts almost exclusively

He was being “green” before it was popular. He collects the old very weathered posts most with their metal brads still intact, from abandoned homes and farmsteads in northern Michigan.   During the drying out time, he studies the wood and waits for the Santa spirits to call to him.
Slowly slowly the whimsical dreamed of Santa begins to come out of the old worn post. Each is totally unique totally one of a kind.   So in our 15 or so years of representing Joe we have seen an  extraordinary evolution from skilled craftsman to imaginative Artist.

We are very pleased and proud to have Joe in our FolkWorks family