Charley Abilgaard

A self-taught sculptor, Charley Abilgaard has worked with wood and stone for over fifty years. Born in Kansas in 1930, he lived in Iowa and South Dakota until 1943 when his family moved to San Jose, California. He attended San Jose State University, then graduated from Stanford Medical School in 1955. Since retiring from a career in pediatric hematology-oncology at the University of California at Davis, he has lived in Monterey County, CA.

He works with local wood including cypress, buckeye, cottonwood - and even old power poles. He also uses a variety of stone including soapstone, alabaster, limestone and granite. The simplicity and form of the works of Beniamino Bufano and Henry Moore have influenced his sculpture, as have the writings of Marija Gimbutas regarding ancient cultures. Animal forms and goddess figures are frequent subjects. The inspiration for many of his sculptures begins with the shape of the stone or piece of wood used for the sculpture.

He now lives with his wife, Nancy, in Carmel Valley, California..