Don Jensen is Pinnacle Artist of the Month
Wood carver Don Jensen knew he’d found his creative outlet when
he earned a Boy Scout merit badge for recycling a grungy piece of
oak pallet and turning it into a pair of ornate candlesticks.
Don Jensen is Pinnacle Artist of the Month
Wood carver Don Jensen knew he’d found his creative outlet when he earned a Boy Scout merit badge for recycling a grungy piece of oak pallet and turning it into a pair of ornate candlesticks.
“I refer to myself as a wood alchemist because I convert something plain and simple into something unique and special,” Jensen said.
A sampling of Jensen’s work will be on display through December in the showcase windows of The Pinnacle in downtown Gilroy. Among the items will be a bedroom set in birch – headboard, footboard and hope chest — with an Egyptian motif that he carved for his younger daughter.
Jensen, 47, is a landscape architect, a profession he developed an affinity for while living as a youngster for three years in the Seychelle Islands – one of the stops his father made during his military career.
“I learned a lot about the beauty of nature and landscaping in that tropical setting,” Jensen said.
Jensen earned his degree in landscape architecture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 1979. A skilled artisan by that time, Jensen created a pair of 6-by-9-foot maple shutters that are on permanent display in the campus art center, a historic building that at one time was the university’s powerhouse.
When they arrived in Morgan Hill, Jensen and wife, Beverley, moved into a 1904 Queen Anne Victorian house that had seen better days. As he prepared to renovate the structure, one of the first things Jensen did was set up a workshop in the rear of the house.
Among the first artistic creations there were the bedroom sets for his daughters.
“That’s when my wife said, “when do I count?’ So I’ve been focusing on her for some time now,” Jensen said.
He is unremitting, however, in his goal to produce only unique objects.
“I always say, ‘If I’m going to make something, it can’t be available in the stores,” Jensen said.
Jensen buys very little wood, preferring to gather old tree trunks or unwanted wood locally. People know his fondness for walnut, cherry and apricot and call him when they are ready to take out or burn trees.
A chest of drawers he made has drawer knobs made of poppy jasper, a semi-precious stone found only around Morgan Hill. He also uses stone, textiles and metal in his creations.
“I like to give special meaning to my pieces. I made functional serving platters that have rims of cherry wood from the Mariani orchards,” Jensen said.
He also works olive, elm and Japanese privet for their attractive grains. He mills much of his own wood in order to catalog the boards and be able to match grains when he wants.
“I practiced photography for a long time. But I have to wear blinders now in order not to diverge too much,” Jensen said.
President of the Downtown Association formed more than a decade ago, Jensen helped create Gallery Morgan Hill, a cooperative where local artists put their talent on display.
He joined the cooperative two months ago and now is vice president of the merchant group, which is undergoing new growth after several years of limited activity.
Jensen has just completed a 3-by-6-foot wood quilt – 72 five-inch squares held together by metal rings. A conversation piece designed to hang on a wall, it incorporates walnut, maple and zebrawood.
The quilt and a 24-inch elm platter are candidates to hang as part of the first exhibition in the city’s community/cultural center, scheduled to open with an inaugural party Dec. 6. Artists from around the Bay Area are competing for the right to exhibit at the opening.
The Pinnacle is located at 7451 Monterey St., Gilroy.
