Kenton Jeske

Woodworker: Designer & craftsman of original handcrafted furniture

Kenton Jeske is a woodworker, designer & craftsman of original handcrafted furniture. His work can be found in the homes of private patrons, places of worship, restaurants, retail spaces and galleries. A furniture maker for over a decade, Kenton has developed a vernacular to his work that speaks to the integrity of materials, craftsmanship and finish.

Kenton Jeske works commissions at his home studio shop in Edmonton, Alberta, where he lives with Amy and their daughters, designing and making the work that he has generously been given.

“As a furniture maker, I must submit to the process dictated by the material, time-honouring methods have shown the integrity within the tradition, and give my work a foundation to express new beauty…

For inquiries or commissions, contact info@bay1gallery.com.

  • “As a furniture maker I must submit to the process dictated by the material, time honoring methods have shown the integrity within the tradition, and give my work a foundation to express new beauty… 

    Designer craftsman furniture is a term I use to abbreviate a philosophy of workmanship that defines my craft: handmade furniture crafted with intention and purpose, alongside the skill set to support the visual elements and create a well-meaning piece of furniture. I pursue the idea that the objects we use on a quotidian basis should benefit us towards our needs and hold a quiet beauty within our home. Handling and shaping the material each day brings forth furniture with a sensual nature that invites one to touch and feel the things they live with. In this way, my work nurtures an intimacy and purpose towards quality and integrity. Woodworking is a constant search for ways in which time honoring craftsmanship endures alongside the natural beauty of the wood and the intended design elements.

    …each piece is new, but it is the repetition in the work that refines the form – a doing over and over again, with a devotion to the form and the function…

    My work has been created through relationships. Each piece of furniture I build embodies an intuition and an intention to connect. Connection with the patron, the design, the material and the process of this craft guides the work along. Between the patron and I there is a reciprocity of desire and intent for the piece to hold and live into. Getting to that place of discovery is a very different experience for people to participate in. For me, craft is not so much about making something, it is about receiving something. Workmanship must bear testimony and my desire is for this work to testify to wholeness. I believe that an agreement between your head, your heart and your hands is fundamental to wholeness and to life. Sometimes I can receive that communion in the work.

    …craft is not so much about making something, it is about receiving something.”

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