Talented in tole

One glance in the Rasmussen home, and you know they’re into holidays. From “Be Mine,” “Crazy For You” and “Hug Me” ornaments strung across the fireplace to hand-carved and painted hearts adorning the living room table, Valentine’s Day is in the air.

It doesn’t end there.

There’s a miniature tree strung with glowing heart-shaped lights and a red table runner with hearts pointed in every direction.

Many of the decorations exuding love have been handcrafted by Jo and Varge Rasmussen themselves.

It’s a hobby the Roseburg couple have pursued for about 17 years: Varge cuts the wood; Jo beautifies it.

Jo, 69, started tole painting when she and a friend took a class in Medford, the Rasmussens’ previous home.

“You know you can paint on anything,” she said.

She’s painted Christmas nativity sets, birdhouses, a picnic basket, wall hangings, sleds, stools and clay pots among many other items, and she’s trying her hand at painting on glass. She’s also tole painted candy and cookie jar lids for each month of the year.

Varge, 72, picked up his wood-cutting skills in shop class during his high school days. He’s since built homes and furniture, and his grandchildren have benefited from his handmade toy boxes. Two small tables he built in high school sit in the family’s dining room.

The 1952 high school graduate is familiar with Shopsmith, table and scroll saws.

Generally following a pattern, he would cut the wood in the desired shape for Jo to paint.

She said, “If they weren’t done right, I’d send them back in and he’d give me a hard time about it.”

After the wood is cut, Jo sands it, smoothes it, applies sealer, sands again, paints, applies more sealer, glazes and gives the wood a final sand.

“There’s a lot of work that goes into it,” she said.

Over the years, the couple have produced hundreds of decorations — too many to count.

For a time, Varge was cutting wood so frequently that it was a challenge to keep the blades sharp.

“When you have a sharp blade, it just cuts right through,” he said.

Jo loves to see her work come to life, but the real joy, she said, comes from making others smile.

“If I can make somebody smile, it’s just so fun,” she said. “I love to see somebody enjoy something. It’s just so heartwarming.”

She sold many decorations by word-of-mouth in Medford, and she’s given many as gifts.

They’ve also kept enough to decorate their home for each holiday.

“I like every holiday. I hate to admit it ... ” Varge said.

She said, “That’s because he gives me such a hard time ’cause I buy all these things for the holidays.”

The couple, both now retired, met in Hazelton, Idaho, and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last summer.

Jo also enjoys each holiday. She said she gets into decorating for Christmas the most, but said she has villages for Halloween and Thanksgiving.

“I have all kinds of things painted for Thanksgiving, Easter, even St. Patrick’s,” she said.

Valentine’s Day, in particular, holds a special place in her heart. It’s her daughter’s birthday.

The youngest of their three children, Tammy Jo McDonald of Puyallup, Wash., will turn 44 on Feb. 14.

“When we first had her, it was just her birthday,” Jo said.

When their daughter grew old enough to understand the holiday, the family would celebrate both — but her birthday always came first.

“Our kids always did, over everything,” Jo said.

She also likes the holiday because she can splash the house in her favorite color: red.

They’ve collected so many decorations, she said, that most of what she makes from now on she’ll either sell or give away. The couple are trying to cut back, she said.

“Even if we downsize, I’m going to keep my paints.”



• Reporter Jennifer Mathis can be reached at 957-4208 or via e-mail at jmathis@newsreview.info.