Reinis Lācis

Woodworker

©Anna Elizabete Lāce

©Reinis Lācis

©Līga Rēce

The sophistication of simplicity

Reinis makes wooden plates and trays for serving food.
His works are 100% natural without any chemicals
He is a member of the Slow Food movement.

For Reinis Lācis, his hobby developed into a full time job. After the 2008 crisis, he was looking for new opportunities and started to make wooden souvenirs. But he knew that he must create something that no one else was making. So, the concept of making wooden plates, dishes and trays came to life. Reinis is behind the idea, the design and the technical execution of all the works. All the plates and trays are made out of a single piece of wood without using any chemicals, like paint or glue. This makes the plates very eco-friendly and safe for serving food. His secret is the intense thought process behind each work, which helps him to find the perfect shape for each piece of wood that gets transformed into a plate or a tray.

Interview

©Reinis Lācis

©Reinis Lācis

What special techniques do you use in your craft?: Quite often I experiment with techniques to find something new. I don’t use any paint, glue or varnish in my works because they are in contact with food. To achieve the black shade of the wood I burn it. Over time, I found a way to clean charcoal from wood, so it doesn’t stain hands.
What inspires you in your work?: I get inspired by exhibitions, seeing how others are passionately working and creating. Sometimes I notice some line or a form and sketch it in my notebook. I flip through the notebook every few months, and often find exactly what I need for a particular order.
How do you express innovation in your work?: Currently, I use innovation very little. I think that some of the new technologies make the end result very similar and uniform. It is still possible to achieve a good result with the traditional woodworking methods.
What does "well made" mean to you?: Firstly, the item must fulfil the purpose of its creation. Secondly, if natural materials are used, the naturalness of the material must be preserved. It is possible to create very technologically complex things and simultaneously maintain the natural features of the material, as well as the creator's individual style.

Reinis Lācis is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2008