Denise Reid, Gleaner Writer

George Faulknor with two of his interesting works of art.

WESTERN BUREAU:

An aspiration to be different and make something out of nothing is the driving force behind the unique furniture that George Faulkner has created for the past 28 years.

Growing up in the cool hills of Glengoffe, St Catherine, Faulkner became interested in art at a young age. "I used to look at trees and form out things with my eyes; from those days I used to look for unusual things," said the artist.

Leaving school, Faulkner did finishing, but became disillusioned. As he puts it, "after a while I broke away from that, I wanted to do something that everybody was not doing; something different."

In 1980, he started out by making abstract figurines. "I started to do small things until I found that I wanted to go into furniture," said the artist whose first piece of work was a chair.

An important feature of Faulkner's work is his ability to use wood that is considered useless to create works of art. "When I went into the woods after they (woodcutters) cut the trees, I realise that they were destroying the trees" said the artist. He stated that in those cases, he would use the roots to construct different pieces, making good use of the waste material.

"When roots burst from the ground, they have different sizes and shapes which are very beautiful, so I dig them up and preserve them and then use them to make my creations," said the artist.

Faulkner uses natural wood products consisting of uniquely shaped tree limbs. Cedar, mahogany and mahoe are the desired wood, Faulkner uses to design his pieces. He also incorporates driftwood (which is rarely used by furniture makers) to fashion his pieces.

beauty in nature

Natural Wood Forms Creation Company was formed by Faulkner who has travelled far and wide to have his work displayed.

"Considering globalisation, I try to do things you don't see often on the streets. I don't think of my work in terms of money. I've been going all over the Caribbean and I see where I am really doing something of importance because people see the beauty in nature through my work and realise that you can make something out of nothing," Falkner boasted.

The artist who has participated in various Caribbean trade shows for many years and has travelled to islands such as St Kitts, St Maarten, Grenada, Barbados and Curacao admitted that he has faced challenges. "Sometimes, you have to go through much hardships, but if sacrifices were not made I wouldn't reach this far," he said.

An unassuming individual, Faulkner was proud of the fact that out of 200 communities, his community in Glengoffe was awarded "the best community" in the island in the Community Development Competition hosted by Digicel and the Social Development Commission.

His dream is to set a positive example for young people. He would love to see them "occupied and productive".

This table is one made of driftwood.

An unusual flower pot with an abstract look is a part of George Faulknor's interesting collection.

This unusual flower stand was designed by Faulknor.

Another George Faulknor figurine.-photos by Denise Reid