James Miller started carving at age 11 under the tutelage of a supportive community education carving group. The members of this group introduced him to the flat-plane style, which sparked his ever-expanding interest in Scandinavian culture as a whole. This interest, along with the support of mentors, family, and friends, led him to become the youngest Vesterheim Gold Medalist woodworker, teach several classes, demonstrate in various small-town events, and even travel to Norway. Since then, he has written several articles for Woodcarving Illustrated (order here) and an instructional book titled Whittling Flat-Plane Animals, featuring 15 how-to Scandinavian animal projects (order here).
When he’s not busy with handcraft, exploring the outdoors, or spending time with friends, James is at work developing software, where he also happily faces the same challenge he finds in his woodcarving: simplifying and abstracting ideas in unique ways. For more of his work, visit his Facebook page.