Handcrafting scenes of serenity
- Clare and Josh’s painted wooden wall art is inspired by nature and geometry
- Their woodshop and studio are surrounded by the forests of northern Maryland
- Designs are often determined by the natural grain of the material
Clare and Josh Dalby met in college when she was studying business management and he was training as a civil engineer. Both learned basic woodworking skills from their fathers and are otherwise largely self-taught. “Our ways of thinking are completely opposite but our skills are very complementary,” Clare says. Josh works primarily from a converted barn woodshop, while Clare works in the inside studio. They come together to explore new ideas for new pieces of painted wood art. The couple both grew up visiting national parks across the USA and enjoy travelling to northern landscapes. “All of those outdoor experiences naturally come out in the work. A piece may be inspired by a certain view, but it is never meant to capture it exactly,” Josh says.
Discover their work
INTERVIEW
Clare: Nature and geometry. There is a lot of geometry in nature, and we love exploring that intersection through the shapes of wood we choose for our pieces. They allow us to frame nature in a unique way without having to add a lot of complication to the work.
Josh: We mainly work with domestic hardwoods such as walnut, maple, spalted maple and cherry. We often buy from a local shop that provides wood for cabinetmakers. We are interested in the pieces they reject, the ones with knots, crazy grain and a lot of character.
Josh: I love walnut. It has a wide variety of tones and colours. You can find some very warm walnuts and then some very cool, near-purple ones. We enjoy pairing paint colours with the natural tones that really make the wood pop.
Clare: People often tell us that our pieces make them feel calm and serene. Those feelings are found in nature and probably flow naturally through the pieces, but it is interesting to learn that we are putting something into our work that we were not conscious of at the beginning.
