Makers

A Place of Refuge

Washington sculptor and furniture maker Kevin Reiswig finds inspiration growing in his backyard.

By Lauren Gallow
May 5, 2025

Summer 2025

Features + Profiles

Free To Read

Photo by Reva Keller

Kevin Reiswig holds a tree branch-shaped sculpture crafted from reclaimed wood at his studio in Port Townsend, Washington.

Recently, Kevin Reiswig told a story to a group of gallerygoers. They were gathered for an exhibition of his handmade wood sculptures, many of which resemble tree branches. “A tree stands in the forest,” Reiswig began. “It started as a tiny sapling, and after hundreds of years and several human lifespans, the tree has grown to enormous size. In a few short minutes, the tree is cut down and loaded onto a truck to be brought to a nearby mill.”

Just as Reiswig’s story went on to trace the life cycle of this fictional tree and its journey into the built environment as lumber, the artist’s work similarly conjures questions about the timescale of trees and the many ways humans intervene in nature. Ranging from his intricately assembled tree-branch sculptures to furniture of all kinds, Reiswig’s work often incorporates reclaimed wood that he sources from his community in Port Townsend, Washington.

“Wood actually makes up a significant portion of our landfill waste every year,” says Reiswig, gesturing to the neatly arranged slats of wood lining the walls of his studio. The building, a converted garage, sits adjacent to his 100-year-old home, overlooking a picturesque meadow and lagoon on the northern tip of the Olympic Peninsula. “If we thought more carefully about how we deconstruct buildings or furniture, we wouldn’t have to take wood out of the forest as often.”

Photo by Artshots.biz

Reiswig was inspired by ideas of regeneration and global community to make Coppice, which includes ten wood species from around the world, 42 x 64 x 5 in.

This eye toward regeneration is the throughline of Reiswig’s work, which began during his studies in sculpture at The College of Wooster in Ohio and continued through his formative years in Chicago working as a fabrication assistant for artists such as Theaster Gates. “In Chicago, I learned how to work with reclaimed wood for everything from sculptures that ended up in museums, to furniture that ended up in houses, to architectural millwork,” he says. “I realized that aspect of regeneration mirrored what happens in nature, and what was happening inside myself.”

For Reiswig, this self-awareness has meant a keen attention to his impact on the natural world. Because the artist works exclusively with wood, he has cultivated a deep knowledge not only of different wood species, woodworking techniques, and forest management practices from his wood suppliers, but also of how trees grow and evolve. He regularly plants trees around his home and further afield on the Olympic Peninsula, and has experimented with grafting on the heritage fruit trees dotting his property.

This holistic knowledge takes full expression in his work, particularly in his series of sculptural tree branches that were recently on view at the Bainbridge Arts and Crafts gallery and now sit perched atop tables and shelves in his light-filled studio. “I took wood that was destined for the trash and turned it back into tree branches,” he says of the works in the show, which were each made of salvaged wood. “I was really studying the forms of trees, trying to get my mind aligned with how trees grow.”

Back view of Kevin Reiswig walking in the woods.

Photo by Reva Keller

Kevin Reiswig walks to visit the Garry oaks he planted in Fort Worden State Park near his home in Port Townsend, Washington.

Photo by Artshots.biz

Rocking Snail, a children's rocking chair, is made from steam-bent white oak, 16 x 11 x 17 in.
Photo by Artshots.biz

Branch Stools in (left to right) cherry, black walnut, and madrona,24 x 16 x 16 in. each.

As we take the short walk through the forest back to his studio, Reiswig talks about other ways he engages with his community: volunteering with the North Olympic Salmon Coalition to restore habitat in riparian areas, showing his work at the town’s annual fall Woodworkers Show, and teaching classes at the Port Townsend School of Woodworking. There, Reiswig most recently taught the capstone course in a nine-month intensive woodworking program. “The emphasis was on student-led designs and seeing the empowerment that comes from that,” says Reiswig. “For me, that’s the most liberating part of woodworking—being able to imagine something and then make it.”

In this way, Reiswig’s work has itself become a place of refuge for the artist, particularly in the way he has intertwined his conservation and education work with the thoughtful material sourcing and handcrafting that takes place in his studio. “It really feels like the edge of the world out here in Port Townsend, and being here has definitely given me space to think and create,” Reiswig reflects as we round the bend back to his driveway. “My art has helped center my life around my own values, and inspire other people to connect to theirs.”

Expressed in various wood species, from dark red Pernambuco to a bluish yellow pine, and ranging in scale from delicate, spindly branches to human-height boughs, Reiswig’s sculptures are formed using advanced woodworking techniques. He combines laminated assemblies with cut joinery and hand carving, often leaving the ends of the branches unfinished to reveal the joints. “I like to leave clues as to how they were made,” he says.

Across form and scale, Reiswig uses his work to build awareness. Even with his furniture, the artist invites users to imagine how the pieces will live on into the distant future. In his studio, he is in the middle of constructing a table of maple and cherrywood, shaping the top on his workbench as the curved base sits nearby. A commission for a local woman who wanted a writing desk, the table is designed for multiple functions. “I designed it like a dining table because after she is gone, this piece of furniture will have many more options for use,” says Reiswig. “A big part of my work is making things that will last many lifetimes.”

When he’s not in his studio, Reiswig can often be found in his backyard, which abuts a state park with miles of walking trails weaving through forest. Here, the artist proposed a project in 2022 to replant Garry oak trees, the region’s only native oak species, which, after decades of logging, has become sparse. Working with the park and a crew of volunteers, Reiswig planted 30 saplings, which are now several feet tall. “Oaks are a keystone species,” explains Reiswig as he tromps through meadow grasses to check on a few of the trees. “That means a lot of wildlife depends on them for food and habitat, so I’ve been trying to get more of them planted.”

Lauren Gallow writes about design, art, and architecture from her home base in Seattle, with bylines in The New York Times, Dwell, and The Art Newspaper, among other publications. She also teaches writing classes for designers at the University of Washington.

A Garry oak tree sapling planted by Kevin Reiswig in the state park next to his home in Port Townsend, Washington. Garry oak trees are the only oak species native to the region. Kevin replanted 30 saplings as part of a project proposed to the park in 2022.

Visit Kevin Reiswig online

Website Instagram

Before you go!

We believe that making creates a meaningful world, and we hope you do, too. Deeply researched and impactful journalism on the craft community is in short supply. At the same time, being featured in a national publication can have a major effect on a maker’s or artist’s livelihood, particularly those who are just starting in their career. You can help support our mission and the work of makers around the country by becoming a member or by making a gift today.

Thank you!
American Craft Editors

Join Donate