Keoni Carlson

Driven by a passion for Native Culture, stories, and mythology, fine art carver Keoni Carlson re-imagines wood as woven and beaded basketry. Using sharpened steel, fire, inks and organic dyes, he creates story driven artwork illusions entirely by hand/freehand with sugar maple as his canvas.  Once shaped, designs are burned at high temperature onto the wood using a single, 1/8" straight line tool.

It is not uncommon for artwork to require 25,000+ individual cuts/burns/colored cells to execute design.  Today Keoni is among only the few excelling in these unusual techniques-bringing to life distant memories, honored heritage and a reverence for shared tribal history. As an artist, Keoni believes himself still very new born, carving in this "touchable illusion" style only since.