I live in Slovenia, a place of natural beauty and mystery, a land covered with 60% of forest, a place where water is the sole right of the people. I work with wood. Since I was a child my inspiration were the trees, their nature, form and wisdom. The spirit of an oak, of a birch, of a pear or a cherry tree. Their softness or hardness, their colour and smell, the feel of them. The tree on my grandmothers backyard where I grew up was a spaceship, a friend, an ally. With years my love and care for the trees grew. The woods expand across the horizon in front of the doorway of my home and my workshop.
All my pieces are handmade. All wood I use to shape and form my products is authentic local Slovenian wood. I make one piece at a time and give it my full attention, starting with a tree and ending up with a functional art piece. The close connection with nature has always been the most important to me. The beings of trees I work with are the source of information to me. The trees, with their natural properties; forms, qualities, materials, even deformations reveal to me what a piece of wood wants to become, what form is to be created, made out of it. I love to take a discarded tree and give it a new life as a unique handmade product used in your home.
I studied restoration and trained and worked with carpenters and furniture designers. My main education though was the life time work with and learning from my father, an engineer and a master builder, a true inventor. He taught me all, from recycling old furniture, creating new one, building spaces, interior painting, the use of all natural building and painting materials and more. My work is commissioned and enjoyed by customers around the country.
I would love to hear from you and am happy to chat if you want to learn more about ordering a handmade piece of functional art.
Sincerely,
Gasper Puntar