MATT STACEY

Mixed media centered around the natural beauty of wood

For me, woodworking is a restful, quiet contrast to the “too busy” of life, and it comes with a finished project. (Very few of those in life!!) My work centers around the natural beauty found within in wood. I enjoy doing this in a variety of ways. At times it is accomplished by contrasting the natural colors of woods. (I do not use stain, NEVER paint, and only rarely a dyed epoxy for contrast.) At other times the goal is to highlight a fantastic grain structure, or the “natural abuse of the original” that comes from time, bugs, fungus and rot. These things that “ruin” wood, if caught in time, also add a beauty to it.

My greatest delight comes from using “found wood” to create finished pieces. I do occasionally buy a board or two, but my favorite pieces come from wood I find. Many times, I have found wood behind cabinet stores, friends barns and “Facebook free” piles. Even better, I love cutting down a tree, specifically targeting or saving a specific spot to turn into usable pieces. I have found and used delightful “normal” woods like maple or oak burls, birch crotch-wood and old rotten cherry. I also have some special pieces crafted from lilac, Russian olive, Caragana, wild rose root, pine 2×4’s from a ghost mine, translucent crosscut pine and sage brush. These “found wild woods” that were on their way to destruction are my favorites to rescue and showcase the beauty within.

I find a beautiful comparison between woodworking and life. The difference between a beautifully finished piece and a broken piece of firewood is the patient touch of a master craftsman’s hands. In the same way, God my Master Craftsman has bought me from the firewood pile and is in the process of turning me into something beautiful, even valuable to Him. I attempt to rely on His guidance for inspiration. I have spoken and written about this in the book “God the Master Craftsman” (Amazon).

Meet the artist

As a dad of 10 children, a full-time pastor, and occasional volunteer assistant wrestling coach I manage to stay fairly busy. My wife Lori and I have been married for 30 years. (She has never been able to park her car in a garage because of my woodworking… habit.) The kids work with me or “parallel play” in the shop regularly. We have lived in Long Prairie for 9 years now.

I got started in wood working in the basement on my dad’s basic tools. Back in those dark ages, when schools still had shop classes, I received my only formal training in woodworking. The one tool that was off limits in that shop was the lathe. That I mostly picked up on my own. I did receive one bit of advice from an old craftsman concerning the lathe. His advice was “put the pointy end of the chisel against the wood and let it do its work.”

Over the last forty years then I have had the opportunity to make everything from step stools to cedar chests and gun cabinets. Mostly these days I focus on smaller projects that I can pop out in a day or two.