mar beck woodworking

i’ve always been an artist.

though my mediums have changed, at my core i’ve loved being able to take an idea and turn it into an experience for others to enjoy.

i grew up around woodworking. our neighbor had a shop in the basement, taught my mom, and eventually she set up shop in our garage. she never felt the need to learn “fancier” joinery techniques and only built furniture for personal use, but i wish i had cared enough as a kid to spend more time helping her.

during my time in the Port Townsend School of Woodworking Nine-Month Furniture Intensive Program, i had the opportunity to learn from a number of incredible woodworkers. two of the most influential were furniture makers and sculptors Seth Rolland and Kevin Reiswig, both of whom continually encouraged my wacky designs and were instrumental in helping me turn them into reality.

currently working part-time as a fine gardener, i am constantly inspired by natural curves found in branches, and have been exploring working with branches of a variety of trees and shrubs to make sculptural pieces, in addition to furniture.