He carves Dala horses; his daughter paints them
Centuries ago, during the long cold evenings in central Sweden, men would take the wood scraps from the local furniture making trade and carve toys for children.
The toys were painted with pigments from the copper mines in the area. The Dala horse, created in the Swedish province of Dalarna, is one of the earliest carvings. It can be traced to the 16th century.
In the 1830s, the horses were adorned with the Kurbit, a flower patterned saddle. The flowers represented the Biblical Kurbit, a gourd vine that is referenced in the Bible, sent by God to protect Jonah from the heat of the desert sun.
The Dala horse received international acclaim when it was chosen as part of the Swedish display at the Paris Exposition in 1937. It was also popular at the New York World's Fair in 1939.
Today, you will find a Dala Horse in most Swedish homes. Now, they come in a variety of colors and styles, including roosters and pigs.
The crafting of the horses has been passed down from generation to generation.
Jason Lekander, a fifth generation Swede from Batavia, is a Dala horse carver. Although he is proud of his Swedish heritage, he started carving the horses because his daughter asked him to do it.
"Julia was 11 and she and my wife (Margaret) took a rosemaling course from Catherine Coy, an award-winning artist," Jason said. "I had always done a little carving and woodworking so when Julia wanted to try and make a Dala horse, I started carving one."
The first horses that the Lekanders made were carved out of basswood and sanded to a smooth finish. Then, after priming, they were turned over to Julia for painting. She painstakingly applies the paint in the familiar pattern.
"We don't really work together," Julia said. "We work separately."
Carving and sanding the horses took a lot of time. The pair decided to try leaving the horses with the cuts in the wood and then paint them. They liked the finished product.
The Lekander family is involved in the local Swedish community through Viljan Lodge of the Vasa Order of America, a Swedish fraternal organization open to all with a Nordic background. They are also involved in the Swedish American Children's Choir, because Julia is a member.
It didn't take long for the word to spread about the Lekanders' Dala horses.
"Soon people were asking us to make them for them," Jason said. "We even had some Norwegian ladies ask us to make Fjord horses for them."
Similar to the Dala horse, it is patterned after the popular Norwegian breed by the same name.
"There are slight differences," Jason said. "The Fjord horse has a tail and the head is different."
It doesn't matter if it is Norwegian or Swedish. Jason and Julia Lekander are just happy that people are pleased with the horses. It's a hobby a father and daughter can share. That makes each horse even more beautiful.