David Santiago

Woodworker

©David Santiago

The wood whisperer

Art and breadmaking led David to craftsmanship
His passion for gastronomy has played an important role in his career
He handcrafts objects from everyday life

The first wooden object David Santiago mastered was a baking shovel to make bread. The second was a spoon. “Wood tells you into what object it wants to be transformed,” explains the Spanish woodworker, whose workshop is located in the village of Valdeprado del Río, Cantabria, in the woodlands of northern Spain. He has being painting and sculpting since he was ten years old. He studied art and initially worked as an interior designer, but ten years ago craftmanship came to him. “I don’t want to make traditional objects, but tradition is something you need to learn, along with new techniques,” he says. For him, materials and objects speak, they have a life and a soul that must be captured. “Behind an object there is a complete story of trial and error, an experience, and that’s what inspires me,” he says.

Interview

©David Santiago

©David Santiago

You were an artist before you became a woodworker...: I was a painter and a sculptor. I have always loved gastronomy and I was passionate about bread. I even made bread professionally in a restaurant. It was something natural for me to make everyday objects and I wanted to craft my own designs. I’m a self-taught person. The more I develop my skills, the more I need to learn.
Why were you drawn to wood in particular?: Wood is a very close material for me. It’s versatile and has been very present in my family life. My family comes from the countryside. My father worked as a carpenter, although not professionally.
Landscape must be important to you...: It´s not something conscious. My workshop is in the countryside, in a small village. I use local wood but also wood from other countries, always sustainable. I use American walnut, oak, maple and beech.
What drives you on?: The most important thing for me is to enjoy the work, to not lose the taste of discovery or the ability to be surprised, to combine creativity and routine. For me, what's crucial is the effort and the savoir-faire. Craftmanship is the desire to do things well – that‘s the perfect definition of quality.

David Santiago is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2003