TWENTY FIVE YEARS!  It's hard to believe this, but Pufferbellies is 25 years old this year ... 2016 ... And it is still as fun and exiciting as it was when I first started it, with my sister Bonnie Petersen, so long ago ....

I got my first set of chisels for Christmas when I was 12 years old. My Dad taught me to carve when I was a youngster ... I still have some of the things I carved as a small child. I love carving sea-themed pieces; fish and mermaids and seahorses, etc ... Living by the ocean is a wonderful part of my life! I love carving santas too, anything that can bring a spark of joy to my day and hopefully also to others. I love carving mirror frames that reflect sea creatures and nature into our homes ... 

I believe that personal energy is inherent in an artist's work and that joy and imagination, laughter and memories can be provoked through artwork, both by the creator and by the audience. I am inspired by water and much of my work draws on the mythical power and energy of the ocean as well as the bright colors of childhood and underwater worlds.

Each Pufferbellies item is drawn, cut out, carved by hand with knives, sanded and painted by me. And I love making every single piece! I feel incredibly lucky to be able to do this for a living!! (Especially still after 25 years!!)

I carve mostly with pine and softwood mdf ... MDF is Medium Density Fibreboard, a board made out of softwood sawdust and glue. It's a great product to carve ... fewer trees are harmed, it won't crack or warp like pine, and it allows me to make bigger pieces without having to do a lot of laminating. I carefully seal all of the mdf pieces before painting them with acrylic paint and sealing the paint again with acrylic sealer. 
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Incidentally, wholesale inquiries are welcome. All prices are in Canadian dollars.  For conversion rates, click here--  http://themoneyconverter.com/CAD/USD.aspx

​-Kathi Petersen