Red River Valley Woodcarvers

Ruth Severson is an artist and the owner of In The Chips, a wonderful wood carving shop in Moorhead, MN. She is always so full of energy and one of those rare people every artist wishes they had as a friend.

Ruth started carving in 2010 when she fell in love with a carving instructor, Larry Longtine! Falling in love with someone who teaches what you love….no wonder she has progressed so much in just a few short years!

If you are stuck on a project or need some inspiration, a few minutes around Ruth will have you reaching for your gouges, brushes or even jewelry making supplies. She even expresses her creativeness through stained glass and pottery!

It is hard to imagine that in Jr. High, Ruth was kicked out of art class by an instructor that did not think she had what it takes to be an artist. Take a look at this Celtic cross, and you will question whether that instructor was missing a couple of marbles!

With a little help from Larry and some of the other club members, Ruth has really tapped into her creative side and never looked back. She talks about how her daughter gave her a bottle stopper twenty years ago as a gift. That bottle stopper was carved by well known carver  Chris Hammack. Today Ruth has carved a series of characters that were taught and inspired by Chris Hammack during his workshops!

Here is a piece that Ruth carved as a self portrait. She spent 45 years as a nurse before joining the carving world. In this piece you really get a sense of Ruths humor,  the cup reads, “Coffee?”.

Enjoying her retirement years Ruth jokes that she still does not know what she wants to be when she grows up.

Every time I step into In The Chips, I get excited to see what Ruth is working on. Here are a couple of wood burnings she has finished recently.

When people ask how she has time to create so many different kinds of art pieces, Ruth simply replies, “I don’t cook or do dishes!”