Wayne Muma

Artist Statement:

Building with wood began for me as a fascination with trees and all things natural. Much of my preteen years were spent in a tree. These years of my life were chronicled by a succession of tree houses, scavenged with a wagon from nearby construction sites. The many hours spent in a tree or wondering the nearby forests have given me a great appreciation for wood.
Summers spent hiking, swimming and fishing in the waters of the Bruce gave birth to my next passion. Boat building for me was born of necessity. In order to fish out there or explore the other side of the lake required a boat. In fact three quarters of the Peninsula can only be seen from a boat. Thus my boat building career began. As a Canadian it seemed only natural to build canoes, kayaks and paddles.
Indigenous forms have always fascinated me. Their function dictates their form but always in a simple artistic way. I find it fascinating that the Inuit could build a completely efficient kayak paddle and yet the form could also be completely beautiful.
Furniture making evolved out of the financial necessity to build a kitchen table soon after I married my wife. Shaker and Asian furniture forms capture my attention most. They are functional, very simple and yet unusually beautiful and artistic. Typically these craftsmen build with the utmost skill, impeccable joinery, and thus this furniture lasts for generations.
The process usually begins with the wood first. I love to find highly figured, rare and unusual forms of wood as local as possible. The wood is then carefully air dried. My shop is then “cluttered” with this raw resource. The creative process begins a year in advance, as the wood dries, so that the final form of the furniture evolves slowly.
This is how the artist is born; many hours of observation, skills born out of necessity, passion, and hours spent honing skills. Here I am, for now, a boat builder, paddle maker, furniture creator and wood collector.

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