Cooktown Art Festival - Woodcarving - Mark Berg

Mark Berg's discovery of woodcarving has become a lifelong passion. He captures the colour, texture and beauty of woods expressed through elegant and functional works. The usefulness and unique properties of wood and an attraction to natural science led Mark to realise that the pleasure we humans gain from making and using tools has persisted from the stone age to the present. He first discovered his enthusiasm for woodcarving making handles for garden tools. He studied Polynesian wood and stone artifacts and tools at Auckland museum and learnt basic carving techniques working with Maori woodcarvers. These skills have been honed over twenty years working on Australian hardwoods.

Some of the works can be seen at Aukland University or in Cooktown at the Courthouse, Hospital and Botanic Gardens. Most works are in private collections.

Photos of Woodwork