Author James Miller

ames Miller started carving at age 11 under the guidance of a supportive Community Education carving group. The members of this group introduced him to the Scandinavian flat-plane style, which sparked his ever-expanding interest in Scandinavian culture as a whole. This interest, and the support of mentors, family, and friends, has led him to become the youngest Vesterheim Gold Medalist woodworker, teach several classes,
and demonstrate in numerous small-town events. In 2010, James’ work appeared in Woodcarving Illustrated Magazine for the first time as part of the Best Carving Design Contest. Several years later, through the encouragement of Harley Refsal, he submitted an article to Woodcarving Illustrated’s 5th Whittling edition. In 2018, he traveled to Norway to meet with
talented craftsmen and learn their techniques. Since then, he has written several articles for the magazine and is now the author of two books, Whittling Workbook (2022) and Whittling Flat-Plane Animals (2020). 

When he’s not busy with handcraft, exploring the outdoors, or spending time with friends, James is at work developing software, where he also happily faces the same challenge he finds in his woodcarving: simplifying and abstracting ideas in unique ways.