Joe Valasek
AIA-Southwestern
Oregon’s June chapter meeting was a real treat. Not only were the winning Eugene Parklet design competition winners announced, but attendees also enjoyed
a tour of the studio wood carver Joe
Valasek set up in Glenwood for his company Carveture. Though trained as a carver & sculptor using
traditional hand tools, Joe is now a leading proponent of the potential and
precision of automated CNC routing to create intricate bas-relief carvings.
Joe
fully exploits the capabilities of 3D modeling software, 3D scanners, and computer-controlled
industrial machinery to explore the artistic potential of textured surfaces and
innovate carving techniques. Joe photogrammetrically translates the projective
geometry of objects and textures he finds interesting to digital information he
can then creatively manipulate and transfer to Carveture’s CNC machinery.
The
large scale of many of Carveture’s projects would be incredibly time-consuming
and thus expensive to produce without the benefit of these technologies. Joe
works with various species of wood, MDF, metals, stones, plastics, and other
materials. A lucrative market for Joe’s work is Hawaii, where developers of resort
hotels and high-end homes prize his island-themed carvings. Using indigenous
woods (such as koa or ironwood), many of the designs feature abstractions of
natural motifs—leaves, waves, ripples in sand, and others.
Joe
described the history of the studio Carveture now occupies. Famed master pipe
organ builder John Brombaugh designed
the building in 1977 specifically to accommodate the fabrication of large pipe
organs. Brombaugh would go on to build dozens of spectacular organs for
installations worldwide. He intended the lofty height of the main shop area precisely
to allow the assembly and testing of the tallest instruments; it now provides a
commodious and pleasant work environment for Carveture. The building’s remote location
at the end of N. Brooklyn Street overlooking the Willamette River is likewise a
world apart and an apt setting for Joe’s creative work.
The
potential applications of Carveture’s decorative fine art panels, ornaments,
sculpted doors, and carved and painted walls in architecture are limitless. As
architects renew their interest in the aesthetic and symbolic potential of
ornament, I expect the demand for products generated by Carveture’s automated
technologies will grow exponentially.
Big
thanks to Joe for hosting AIA-SWO’s June chapter meeting. His presentation,
offering a sneak peek into Carveture’s work processes, and the tour of
Carveture’s studio, were thoroughly informative and enjoyable.
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