Artwork copyright Ken Lundemo. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2013.

Artwork copyright Ken Lundemo. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2013.

Artwork copyright Ken Lundemo. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2013.

Artwork copyright Ken Lundemo. Original 1976 installation. Photo courtesy of the artist, by Jim Ball (black and white photo).

Langskip Norseland Spirit, 1976

Ken Lundemo
American (born 1931, died 2024)

Location: Poulsbo Elementary School, Poulsbo

About the Artwork

Ken Lundemo created the first artwork in Washington's State Art Collection's in 1975. His Viking longboat-style sculpture refers to the Scandinavian theme of the city of Poulsbo, where this artwork is located. The sculpture represents the forward third of a ship rising on waves. Lundemo researched the Vikings and Scandinavian boat building techniques. He built it in a similar way but using welded steel instead of wooden spruce root ties.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with North Kitsap School District.

About the Artist

Washington artist Ken Lundemo (1931-2024) created sculptures combining wood, metal, stone, and ceramics. Raised and educated in Tacoma and Bremerton, Lundemo earned an Associate of Arts degree from Olympic College, in Bremerton, after serving four years in the U.S. Navy in the 1950s. He later returned to Olympic College to study ceramics in the 1980s. He also learned welding, woodworking, and stone carving over the years. His home and studio were located on twenty acres of woodlands in South Puget Sound, where he also kept a Japanese-style anagama (wood-fired) kiln.