Hartvigson's Resume

C. LaVern Hartvigson's Resume and partial list of Accomplishments:

Born:
~ 17 Feb. 1939, Baker, ID. Raised on father’s ranch and made my own toys selling some to classmates

Education:
~ Oregon College of Education, Monmouth, OR Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR,
~ Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Providence, RI as a Special student to world-renown Master Furniture Designer, Dr. Tage Frid. No degree granted as a special student, however my records at RISD show Dr. Frid’s notation: “…LaVern is the best student I have ever had.”

Employment:
~ Professional woodworker for 51 years; self-employed for 41 years.

Accomplishments:
~ Work published in American Crafts, Qualified Remodeler, RISD Works, and Designer’s West, all nationally and internationally distributed publication .

Commissioned work:
~ Cabinetry and interior woodwork in homes in Anchorage and Fairbanks, AK, Bel Air, Tarzana, and Beverly Hills, CA., and Boulder, Co.

Shows:
~ 1983: Solo show with ten pieces of my work hosted by First National Bank of Anchorage.
~ 1984: "Nara" foyer table accepted and shown in “Interiors III,” a juried exhibition at the Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, Mass.
~ 1985: Solo show hosted by The Artique.
~ 1988: Solo show with l9 pieces of my work, hosted by Anchorage Museum of History and Art.
~ 1993: Padauk Chest on display in the Anchorage Museum of History and Art’s “Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Exhibition 1968-1993.”

Awards:
~ Best in Woods Award four times (1981, 1983, 1984, 1985) and Juror’s Choice Award once (1984) in an Alaskan statewide juried shows at Anchorage Museum of History and Art. (A red wooden toy bulldozer that I made when I was a young boy, serves as mascot at all of my shows.)

Other Assignments:
~ Guest speaker, conducting seminars at various institutions concerning furniture design and technique.

Special Accomplishments:
~ Harvesting trees with former President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter from their properties in Plains. GA. Making Memory Chests and other items, which were sold at the Carter’s Annual Winter Weekend, an annual charity event in Crested Butte, CO. Four pieces were made from the wood the Carters’ and I harvested from their properties in GA.
~ Recently purchased the last of the cabinet-grade Antique Heart Pine lumber, which was reclaimed from the recently dismantled old Sears, Roebuck and Co. Catalog Building and making collectors items—Mini Chests and Picture Frames—from this Pine.

Philosophy:
~ From the time I made wooden toy caterpillar tractors as a child, then advancing to gunstocks in my youth, and finally to designing and building custom cabinetry and furniture, it has been my desire to express my art in wood. I keep technique at the forefront of design so that what I build will last beyond the span of my life and not structurally fail or destruct. The awesome grandeur of Alaska has had a profound impact on the last 35 years of my life, from its towering peaks and lonely expanse of its tundra, to the art forms of the Eskimo and Indians, which reflects the reference for the creations of nature. When one can bring the purpose of design and technique to a marriage of effort, a product then and only then has the opportunity to attain its maximum potential.

| Direct Link to Vern Hartvigson's Portfolio |

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All images and designs © C. LaVern Hartvigson.
Unauthorized use of any kind is prohibited by Federal Law.
Website, composite images and web elements designed by Carl W. Hartvigson.