Spångossen Per Norén
"I only create what I have the ability to feel"
Many people dream of having the ability to express themselves through craftsmanship, art, or woodwork. Per Norén is one of those who has found expression, form, and joy. Living in an old schoolhouse in Raman, Hälsingland, Per discovered his purpose in woodcarving. Under the artist name Spångossen, he enchants thousands with beautiful images of meticulously detailed wood carvings. Some may envy his ability to create, but for Per, the meaningful part is making woodcarving accessible to everyone. We meet him during a spooncarving course outside the Axe Museum in Gränsfors.
The axe and the craft
Seven chopping blocks, each with a fresh piece of birch resting on top. The course participants stand ready with axes and creativity. Each one is going to make a spoon.
Confidently and skillfully, Per uses the axe to remove material from the wood: first, creating depth where the spoon’s bowl and handle will meet. Then, he starts shaping the contours and form of the spoon. A lot of wood needs to be removed before anyone can even think about using a knife.
What role does the axe play in your craft?
– Carving as a whole is a journey you repeat and walk over and over again. It starts as something physical when you first take the wood and becomes very fine-motor when you approach the end. The axe is always a powerful experience. It has the capacity to be an entry point, to open the door to the entire carving process,” says Per.
He believes that every tool has its place in woodworking. At least a saw, an axe, and a knife.
“It’s about giving yourself a good experience; it can be a bit comfortable. Don’t carve where you can axe, don’t axe where you can split, don’t split where you can saw.
And what do you seek in an axe?
– A good handle ergonomics that is well-crafted and tested so you can keep going, a good balance between the head and the handle. The size and weight of the axe head and the angle of the edge, everything needs to fit together. You shouldn’t have to think about a good axe, it’s just there.
The course continues. After a while, the pieces of birch begin to take the shape of a spoon. This is the most important part, according to Per. The basic form should be there, but nothing should be overworked with the axe. Edges don’t need to be rounded off, splinters can remain. The finer details are done later with the knife.
Three types of exercise
It’s easy to think that Per has never done anything but woodworking. The truth is quite different. His most intense love for the axe, knife, and wood came only in 2017 after a tough period of illnesses. The discovery of an old woodworking shop in the attic of his childhood home became the catalyst for a new lifestyle. Creating became central, and carving became Per’s anchor.
– If there’s anything universal… There are many lessons and thoughts in the experiences I’ve gone through. But it’s never too late for a change. The closer you are to your inner self and nature, the greater the likelihood of healing from an illness or a tough period. Carving is like three types of exercise happening at once. The physical part is obvious. The intellectual part is understanding form, ergonomics, and the direction of the wood fibers. The spiritual part is the art.
– It’s easy to get a certain image in your head when you think about meditation and finding yourself, like being somewhere in South America at an Ayahuasca retreat. For me, it’s just about finding harmony in what’s around me.
Per’s woodworking is visible on Instagram, in magazines, and on TV. What many don’t know is that he has had a career as an inventor. Back then, it was mostly his brain that got the exercise.
– Life for me consists of two parallel tracks. It can be likened to two legs that I move forward on. For a period, I focused diligently on technical solutions, understanding and comprehending. Creating practical and functional things. It gave a kind of reward to work on that. In a way, it became a misalignment for me. I needed to engage the soul for the body to stay balanced. Carving is a subtly technical innovation but the spiritual aspect takes up more space.
So is inventing set aside?
– I’ve actually started a bit again. Because I carve now, I can approach inventing with greater strength. I’m working on an incredibly clever invention that allows you to change car tires without much effort.
The music
Shavings and splinters fall to the ground. The course participants continue working. Some with axes, now also some with knives. They share a common focus, a deep concentration on finding the spoon’s ergonomics. The silence is suddenly broken when Per brings out his accordion. The spring day in Gränsfors turns into a musical idyll.
What does music mean to you?
– It’s an additional dimension on the same spectrum as woodcarving. I rest my focus on different parts of the nervous system, you could say. If there were a range between inventions and music, then woodcraft lies perhaps in the middle. I move between all parts.
Are there synergies between the music and your carving?
– Yes, there’s a lot of truth in that. I find more forms in music than by studying the surroundings. Folk music is my base. You link some kind of tonality with a feeling in what I create. Then I listen to 60s country when I drive. It addresses real topics. I must say that I listened to it before everyone else. Per laughs.
It takes time
The course is concluded. Previously made spoons, a cup, and a pair of meticulously detailed shrink boxes emerge from Per’s bag and land on the windowsill in the Axe Museum. The light hits perfectly, presenting the carved surfaces in an enchanting way. Some of the creations are finished, others are in progress. Tiny pencil sketches are visible on the handle of the cup. It’s clear that the craft is allowed to take its time.
– The span in which I can perform at my very best lasts only for a very limited time. But it’s always the feeling that guides me. I never think that I should follow some golden ratio or think about the angles the ancient Greeks used in their statues. The feeling takes time, and I only create what I have the ability to feel.
