Harley Refsal (December 25, 1944 – September 8, 2024) was an American internationally recognized figure carver, specializing in Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving.
Refsal was born on December 25, 1944 and raised on a farm near Hoffman, Minnesota, which was homesteaded by his Norwegian-immigrant grandparents.
His father, a carpenter and farmer, and a woodworker uncle who lived nearby kept him well supplied with wood, tools, and encouragement.
Upon retiring from full-time teaching at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa in 2010, he held the title Professor Emeritus of Scandinavian Folk Art.
Since the 1980s, Refsal, who spoke fluent Norwegian, shared his knowledge of and skills in Scandinavian-style flat-plane figure carving with thousands of carvers through courses and presentations in North America and in Scandinavia.