Paul van Altena

I work with raw wood slabs and logs to create functional art. My aim is to showcase the beauty present in nature and to not overly modify what it already is. I use resin fills when appropriate but prefer to use sparingly so as not to overshadow the natural beauty of the wood. I source the material locally in California, sometimes as close as my backyard. Some of my favorite wood species are walnut, madrone, oak, and manzanita which are plentiful in this area. All of it is salvaged. I do like many of the more exotic tropical hardwoods but feel it’s hard to know that it’s sourced in a sustainable way. Even if it is, there are the environmental costs of shipping. I do commission work, but my favorite way of creating is to find a beautiful log or slab and think of the best way to honor its beauty. There are two different ways in which I approach a creation, one finding a particular piece of wood that inspires me, and then figuring out the best way to showcase it. The second way is to start with a specific piece I want to create such as a door or cabinet or lamp, and then look for the piece of wood that speaks to me. Typically it’s both in varying priority. These creations are always evolving in the process, and although I have a pretty clear idea of the general feel of the piece, I leave a lot of room to change things as the grain and shapes become clearer. This is especially true of pieces that feature book matching techniques. When a piece of wood is cut, the resulting pieces are mirror images. This presents the opportunity to explore some very interesting grain patterns, not unlike a Rorschach test.
I have a large bandsaw mill with the capacity to 48” in width and although I do mill on occasion, the main reasons for it are in cutting (literally) costs on the high cost of hardwoods, and in cutting thick 3/16”veneers. It’s a great way to conserve material and also very interesting to explore repeating grain patterns. I steam some of these veneers to use on curved panels and am using vacuum bag clamping techniques. I also more recently have been making dimmable LED light sconces using commercially available light fixtures and then bonding commercially produced burl veneers to the glass shades. These are more abstract and have a modern aesthetic look. During the day one sees the veneer with light upon the surface which is beautiful in its own right, but at night the light shows through the grain and provides a warm organic glow that’s quite amazing. There are many types of veneers available and each lot is limited in quantity, but the options are really limitless. I build custom doors, cabinets, tables large and small and art pieces, the more unusual the better. If you can buy it from a store I won’t be building it.

Paul van Altena
530-218-5765
Email: paulvanaltenawoodwork@gmail.com
Website: https://www.paulvanaltenawoodwork.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paul.vanaltena.18
Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/apaulvan