Son of a Dakota Twister: The Life and Works of a Folk Artist

On a frigid winter day in South Dakota in 1984, buried in a six-foot-high snow drift, Kent Gutzmer first picked up an old carpet knife and started to carve a rocking horse. Since then, this lesser-known yet iconic artist's timeless, polychrome folk-art sculptures can be found throughout the United States and beyond.

With no formal training, Gutzmer's folk art fits into the "outsider art" sphere, amongst contemporaries such as Howard Finster, Edward Larson, Albert Zahn, and many other artists once known. His wide array of subjects include Bugs Bunny and Betty Boop, jesters and jockeys, and Santas and Uncle Sam - and they are realized as everything from carvings, whirligigs, weather vanes, flags, busts, trapeze toys, to jointed figurines. Though primarily working in wood carving, Gutzmer's mixed-media art also features found objects and materials, adding to its aged and inimitable quality.

Gutzmer's work regularly appears at auctions due his prolificacy in the 1990s and early 2000s, including a 32" tall Abe Lincoln that sold in 2013 for $5,700. His pieces have been featured in magazines such as Country Living, Country Accents, Antique Trader, The Northern Collector, and many others. Son of a Dakota Twister documents Gutzmer's story alongside his life's work.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Daulnoy Editions
Published: 07/08/2026
ISBN: 9781945783456
Pages: 108
Weight: 0.67lbs
Size: 10.00h x 8.00w x 0.29d