Chris Riesner
Sculptor, woodworker, furniture designer, mountain biker, Chris Riesner shares with us his love of nature and how it’s reflected in his work:
“I’m a furniture designer and sculptural artist bringing the beauty of the outdoors in. I find my bliss through exploring the diverse terrain of California, whether it be my local Santa Cruz Mountains, the Sierra Nevadas or beyond. I get way out into the backcountry by way of dirt bike or mountain bike and document it through trailbound.co. However, it’s my reflections of these places and experiences that find their way into my work through organic forms and patterned details.”
“The wood forms I create are often rough shaped out with a chainsaw and then carved down using carbide tipped grinder wheels. What emerges from the dust are beautiful contours and lines that create patterns reminiscent of topography maps and other mountainous environments. I sand the pieces smooth to a polish with tools and techniques I picked up from local surf board shapers. Finally, I finish using natural resins to bring out the flowing lines and golden hues in the wood.”
“Years back when I knew woodworking (whether it be furniture, sculpture, or instrument making) was the path I wanted to pursue, I made myself take a step back and learn the basics of fine woodworking. I took a year or two to focus on simple green wood spoon carving. While hiking through Henry Cowell forest I would salvage fallen Maple branches along the San Lorenzo river. There I’d spend the afternoon carving up spoons with my axe and knife. I began selling at the Santa Cruz Mountains Makers Market (http://scmmakersmarket.com) in Felton, CA and really enjoyed getting to know the Santa Cruz community here. Nowadays I’ve moved on to larger pieces of custom furniture and organic sculpture but they’re very much so routed in that time I spent in the woods carving spoons. I’m still constantly out in the redwoods taking in inspiration through Mountain Biking the ocean backdropped single track or exploring the other mind blowing California mountain ranges. It’s the feeling of discovering and being present in these types of places that I’m trying to capture and convey through my work.”
The Wind Bench
View more of Chris’s work on his website and Instagram
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