| Desiree Hajny was born in Iowa, in 1957. Her
parents were responsible for her early interest in wood and art. Her father,
a builder, spent much of his spare time in his wood shop. Her mother possesses
an artistic aptitude, which she complements with a creative knack. The
traits of both parents were passed on to Desiree. The interest in animals
as a subject stems form Desiree’s upbringing in the Rocky Mountains of
Colorado where the family was exposed at first hand to experiences with
North American wildlife in their habitat. Desiree graduated from a state
college in Nebraska in Art Education. Upon graduation she taught art for
six years in a small Nebraska cattle-ranching community. This is where
her love affair with wood sculpting began. She introduced woodcarving as
a unit of study to her students to promote the practicality of art. Not
only did the students enjoy woodcarving, but she herself became hooked.
The birth of Hajny’s son Jeff prompted Desiree to become a full-time mother
during his early years. To supplement her husband’s teaching income, she
took up wood sculpting as a full-time profession, and many other pursuits-from
drawing designs for T-shirts to designing greeting cards and carving patterns.
As she became known throughout the USA, these activities evolved into teaching
seminars, competing in and judging shows and giving demonstrations. To
date, Desiree has authored six books as well as being a contributing editor
to many periodicals. She has also been recently selected to carve animals
for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the newest theme park at Disney World in Florida |
