About Christen - Vancouver Island Wood Carver
Christen Dokk Smith lives in Tofino, B.C. Canada, a small town surrounded by great nature on the west coast of Vancouver Island, where he has been carving from the “Carving Shed” on Chesterman Beach since he moved to Canada in 2012.
Christen now works in the realm of contemporary Viking carving and sculptures, as well as exploring other mediums such as stone and bone.
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After talking with Christen about his wood carving experience and given how impressed my wife and I were with not only the pieces he had on display at the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, but also his previous experience at the Viking Ship museum in Oslo, we commissioned Christen to carve a piece for my father in honour of my family's Norwegian heritage. We were especially impressed by his skill and artistry as shown by his work on the Oseberg Viking ship. After initial discussion with him about the project, he and I exchanged several emails over the course of many weeks. His extraordinary patience was appreciated while we vacillated on the kind of carving we thought best for my dad. In the end, it was Christen who suggested an idea based on our interests and provided a sketch. After the usual formalities, we received our carving a few weeks later and the final piece so far exceeded our expectations. Aside from the fact that the carving was carefully and well-packed for shipment, the piece itself was extraordinary. He took a few vague ideas and a notion of our preferences and created a beautiful and thoughtful piece of exceptional craftsmanship. The skill and artistry on display in this work is remarkable and will be admired and appreciated especially by my half Norwegian dad. Thank you Christen
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– Genevieve and Brendan
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After talking with Christen about his wood carving experience and given how impressed my wife and I were with not only the pieces he had on display at the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, but also his previous experience at the Viking Ship museum in Oslo, we commissioned Christen to carve a piece for my father in honour of my family's Norwegian heritage. We were especially impressed by his skill and artistry as shown by his work on the Oseberg Viking ship. After initial discussion with him about the project, he and I exchanged several emails over the course of many weeks. His extraordinary patience was appreciated while we vacillated on the kind of carving we thought best for my dad. In the end, it was Christen who suggested an idea based on our interests and provided a sketch. After the usual formalities, we received our carving a few weeks later and the final piece so far exceeded our expectations. Aside from the fact that the carving was carefully and well-packed for shipment, the piece itself was extraordinary. He took a few vague ideas and a notion of our preferences and created a beautiful and thoughtful piece of exceptional craftsmanship. The skill and artistry on display in this work is remarkable and will be admired and appreciated especially by my half Norwegian dad. Thank you Christen