Wes Giesbrecht is a cabinet maker by trade. As an apprentice he was most interested in boxes, jewelry boxes. Small boxes, big boxes, boxes with drawers. With each prototype that he built he realized that boxes were very labor intense and he would not be able to sell them for the price he would have to charge. He needed to come up with an idea that was more artistic than functional. His first wood mosaic was a head board, from scraps of maple and burl walnut, he cut many, many pieces of wood, glued them to a hollow core door, framed it and hung it on the wall. Everyone who saw it loved it. So he did another one, as a sunburst glued to wood with a frame around it. While he was making the sunburst he got the idea of putting them on fabric so he could roll them up for shipping and storing. Careful attention had to be paid to the size of the wood pieces or they wouldn't roll. He uses 50 different species of wood for his mosaics. He also paints acrylic Abstract and we didn't talk about it but he is also a musician.
Wes is a founding member of the Fraser Valley Woodworkers. He has a BC instructors diploma and substitute teaches Journeymen Cabinet Making, at UFV.
Wes is inspired from within. When he needs inspiration he sits and lets it come to him.
From his 12Th grade teacher come his words of wisdom.
"If the situation is killing you, get out of it" I think that was his inspiration to quite drinking, which he feels is one of his greatest achievements.
Please check out Wes's web site for more of his amazing work in wood and acrylic.
Abbotsford School of Integrated Arts-Sumas Mtn. Grade 8 Self Potrait Moriah Misner.
