Quercus Woodworking
John Ibsen
Alfred, ME
Insta: @quercus_woodworking
Artist Statement: I have always been drawn to working with wood. Growing up I spent most weekends and summers working alongside my dad and grandfather who were carpenters by trade. When I went away to college to study forestry I began carving spoons as a way to continue working with wood, yet with only minimal tools. I gave most as gifts along with an accompanying card about where that particular wood came from. Over time this hobby grew into a side business and eventually a full time endeavor.
Quercus Woodworking became the business name in homage of the “Good Oak” (Quercus is the scientific name for oak) chapter of Aldo Leopold’s Sand County Almanac in which the author uses each annual growth ring as a lens to tell the history of the land where the tree grew.
I stay true to this spirit, sustainably harvesting trees from land owned by friends and family in Maine and Vermont and creating heirloom wood products that “tell the story of wood from tree to you” including kitchen utensils (spoons, spatulas, spreaders, tongs), cheese boards, coasters, live edge boxes, growth sticks and furniture.
