Martin Irwin uses a Stihl 20-inch chainsaw to carve a bear out of a dead redwood stump he found on his family's property. Irwin uses recovered forest products for his business, Nature Made Treasures, which he started a year ago.
Forget the storefront - Martin Irwin's got the great outdoors at his fingertips.
The owner of Nature Made Treasures, a one-craftsman operation that produces handmade, one-of-a-kind wood carvings, Irwin, 33, works from home and in Mother Nature, marketing his business online and counting on word-of-mouth advertising for business.
Thursday afternoon, a knee-high stump of redwood sat before him that was shaping up nicely to resemble a bear. Earlier that morning, he had hauled the block of wood to his work area from a burned-out redwood stump that had been logged in the 1920s. The crude bear slowly took shape over the course of the morning as Irwin's chainsaw bit into the wood. Aside from the drone of the tool, the only other sound in the forest was the buzz of flies and a tree that creaked when the wind blew.
The forest, only part of the sprawling ranch his parents own off Hecker Pass Highway, provides his materials. He uses only recovered forest products, dead wood that does not rot away but could potentially add to forest fires. The wood is already dry, having been dead for years, and doesn't require a kiln or mill to finish the job.
"There's a lot less carbon miles on these pieces of wood," Irwin said. "No sense cutting down a live tree."
His products range in size from a queen-size bed he made out of fallen logs to a tiny hummingbird trinket smaller than the palm of his hand. While the hummingbird might go for $75 because of the intricate craftsmanship, the bed sold for $1,000.
Mostly a hobby, his carvings might turn into a living for him, he hopes.
"So far, most of what I've made, I've put back into the business," he said. Between saws, blades, gas and supplies, the numbers add up. The only free part: the wood.
The bear he was carving still needed a little work, but a box of finished products held a jewelry box made out of a small tree stump, polished to a glossy sheen, a travel-sized children's game, and a decorative plaque inlaid with several pieces of redwood in the shape of a rose.
"This isn't a mass-production house," he said. "I'm marketing to people who want a custom product. I'm very open to listening to what people are looking for."
With no physical store to manage, Irwin throws his efforts into his passion - creating beautiful pieces that can't be found in a store - and working with the customer to create something they had sought in a store, but just couldn't find.
The downside?
"It would be fun to open up a shop," he said.
On the other hand, he uses the outdoors as his workshop, a place more suited to his chainsaw. Plus, he ran across five deer just that morning as he worked in a clearing in the forest near a calm lake, something he would miss sitting behind a counter in a shop.
Getting his start by making gifts for birthdays and anniversaries, he created a Web site only a few months ago and has attracted a handful of random customers since. Interior designers come across his site from time to time, and he worked with a decorator to create a log bed that truly is "one of a kind." Even when he replicates pieces, his rustic creations are completely unique.
"Just as there are no trees that are exactly the same, there are not treasures that are, either," he said. "Each may share the same origin and design, but each will exhibit their own glorious luster provided by nature in the construction of the tree."
Even after whittling away at a particular piece of wood, Irwin does little more than sand and buff the piece before presenting a finished product. A small, engraved clock carved from redwood and black walnut gleamed with only a thin coat of polyurethane to dress it up.
Like every tree, each treasure has a story, he believes. These days, he's working on building a bed frame for his home from a fallen tree he used to play on as a child. That eco-friendly attitude and love for his work can be seen in each piece he produces.
"Let me know what's on your mind," he said. "It could very well be possible."
Sara Suddes Sara Suddes covers education for the Gilroy Dispatch. Reach her at ssuddes@gilroydispatch.com or call (408) 847-7158.
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