August 8 - October 6, 2024

Jeanie & Bill Wyatt Gallery

Reception Saturday, August 10, 5-7pm

Woodworker

Jesse is a local San Antonio woodworker artist who describes himself as a “creative woodworking enthusiast.”  He said “about 15 years ago my nephews, and nieces began graduating from universities and high school, so I decided to build them a wooden book. I’ve designed them to look and open like a book. Inside plenty of room for safekeeps, jewelry, pictures, letters etc. I am now on my second-generation design and looking forward to my third generation. I use exotic woods to emphasize the beauty in wood. I find the Hausmann Millworks a huge steppingstone in my artistic ability, and I am grateful to be here.”

He says “as a child, trees always held a special place in my heart. If I weren’t climbing them, I could be found under the shaded canopy along the Rio Grande.” “Now, as a woodworker, I hold a special passion for creating books and boxes using wood from trees around the world.” He says his mission is to highlight the heart and soul of every wood brought before him. He wishes to express its life and bring to light that every tree once had a life of its own. Wood can be found across the world in multi colors and grain patterns. His books are all natural in the vast array of colors. No stain or dye is used to enhance the beauty. Deep in the Brazilian valley comes Purple Heart. In the vast desert of Africa, Zebra wood is found. He takes these woods and combines them to make the books. For the spine, he uses a special router bit to cut out the concave curvature patterns. For the pages, a certain wood when specialty cut resembles pages from a book. For the covers he uses exotic woods with reflective figures or colorful grain. The combination of these woods put together make a beautiful balance of color and grain making them a unique one-of-a-kind keepsake or jewelry holder for years to come.

Jesse is a member of Hausman Millworks in San Antonio; he works from his studio there. Here is their history:

“At Hausmann Millworks, founded by San Antonio locals, our goal is to provide a constructive, professional setting in which San Antonio artists and small businesses can thrive and succeed. ‘The Millworks’ (as we call it) is a group of creative people – painters, digital artists, sculptors, fibers and craft artists, photographers, performing artist groups, woodworkers, and metal fabricators – who have created a community and sense of place in the heart of San Antonio, Texas.

In 1976 after graduating from Trinity University, Gene Hausmann opened a furniture design shop studio at The Southwest Craft Center (now Southwest School of Art). Subsequently, Gene and his wife Renee worked together in manufacturing for over 30 years, growing the family business to a city block. In 2006, the Hausmann family, Gene, Renee, and Rex along with a few friends started re-purposing their buildings with 3 studios, Rex, Dave & Louie. Now “The Millworks” has grown into a complex of over 65 studios, schools and design/ craft shops encompassing a whole city block in Alta Vista.”