Janis Straupe

Woodworker

©Janis Straupe

©O. Jansons

Inventing in wood

Janis opened his own workshop after 15 years of practice
He likes to play with optical illusions and gravitational force
He has participated in 50 art exhibitions since 1983

Janis Straupe has been working with wood for more than 35 years. Taking inspiration from nature and geometry, he makes sculptural objects, design pieces, decorative objects and fully functional pieces of custom-made furniture. One of his most famous creations is the Beetle cabinet, a wooden cabinet in shape of giant beetle. Janis used to own a small furniture workshop employing up to eight people; now, he considers them simply colleagues and friends who work together to make unique design pieces in wood. Janis likes to think of himself as an inventor who expresses himself through wood. His custom-made pieces of furniture are as much sculptures as functional items.

Interview

©O. Jansons

©O. Jansons

How did you get started?: I had the ambition to become a painter, but didn’t score high enough to qualify and so I agreed to enroll in woodwork classes instead. We had to practise in the biggest art factory in the whole former Soviet Union, called Maksla, where I became hooked on the art of working with wood.
Did you have a mentor?: I was lucky to learn from master wood sculptor Janis Polaks. I learned from him that there is a value in searching for new ways of making traditional things, and if you are focused enough and don’t give up, there is a solution for even seemingly impossible challenges.
Does your homeland inspire your art?: Latvia is a very green country, more than 50 percent of it is covered by forests. Latvian pine was widely used in shipbuilding in past centuries; it made excellent masts. The Latvian woodworking tradition has been ingrained in me by my education and my mentors.
Do you have any advice for young woodworkers?: Woodworking hasn’t changed that much over the centuries. Tools have improved and made life easier, but the essence of the work is the same. Try to find a taste for it; it could be a source of satisfaction in life… or not. You need patience and a love for working with your own hands.

Janis Straupe is a master artisan: he began his career in 1982 and he started teaching in 1998