The time-honored tradition of wood-carving dates back thousands of years. This fun example of a cowboy needing to hold on as his horse comes complete stop celebrates this past-time. “A Horse that Stops on a Dime,” by Clear Lake resident Quentin Rhody, brings a poor cowboy’s plight to life. Carved from pine and mounted on a cedar base, Rhody carved this in 1989, and stamped the bottom “A Carving by the Old Norwegian.”
The earliest known piece of wood carved art dates back over 12,000 years, made of larch. The easiest wood to carve is lime wood, also known as basswood. For larger projects, oak often leads the way. Pine carves well despite its knots, however it can be a more difficult wood to finish. Carving involves many tools including chisels and knives. Wood, due to its tendency to deteriorate, historically was passed by in favor of stone and bronze.
The “Old Norwegian”, Rhody has honored the tradition of woodcarving with whimsy and fun. Hopefully, it will also serve as a reminder that horses can in fact stop on a dime!