Kevin Reiswig is a furniture maker and wood sculptor whose work features organic forms inspired by living things, such as the joints of branches, the shapes and textures of seedpods, and the curves of animal bodies. Elemental forces such as melting ice, radiating sunlight, and weatherized stones also inspire his work. Kevin believes his work will help bring natural connections back into the lives and homes of people living in urban environments.
Kevin believes making to be an essential way of exercising his curiosity about the living world. In other words, part of the way he explores nature is by exploring the capabilities and limitations of materials, his body, and his mind.
Speaking about his commitment to conservation, Kevin says, “I am aware of the underlying contradiction within my practice: I admire the natural world, and yet I consume its resources. I therefore feel a deep responsibility to incorporate healthy conservation behaviors into my life and work. I use as much found scraps and reclaimed wood as possible, I primarily use earth-friendly finishes, and I have committed myself to planting more trees every year than I cut up. I also teach woodworking so that I can share these ideas with ever more people. These actions help ease my conscience, and allow me to demonstrate that human activity and the built environment can exist in community with nature.”
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Kevin Reiswig grew up in rural Ohio and attended The College of Wooster, where he graduated with a BA in studio art, focusing on wood sculpture. He is an Anderson Ranch Arts Center alumnus, having worked there as a summer workshop intern (in 2010) and again as artist-in-residence (in 2013). Kevin lived in Chicago from 2010 to 2017, where he worked as an art fabricator, furniture maker, and finish carpenter for Theaster Gates (2011-2015), John Preus (Dilettante Studios), Rebuild Foundation, and others. He has exhibited his creations since 2010, both domestically and abroad. Kevin currently operates his own studio in Port Townsend, Washington, is a faculty instructor at the Port Townsend School of Woodworking, and a member of The Furniture Society.