Maine Rustics
57 A Pearl Street
Belfast, ME 04915
Tel: (207)338-3663

Paul Jurutka

I have been a woodworker most of my adult life, so I am comfortable working with the medium in all it's forms.

While employed as a fine woodworker/cabinet maker in 1986, I discovered the joy and creativity of working with wood in it's natural form: twigs, branches, saplings, logs, roots and bark. Soon, I honed my skills enough to demonstrate "Rustic Furniture-Making" at the Common Ground Fair from 1988-1991 and again from 2001-2004.

In the fall of 1998, I took a research trip to the Adirondack Mountains of New York, where I studied the traditional style of rustic work that originated there. While in Blue Mountain Lake, NY., I attended The Rustic Furniture Makers Show at the Adirondack Museum. Two years later, I became a member of "Woodlanders"(Link), a group of rustic furniture makers ("twiggers") from the Northeastern US and Canada, who meet and network to keep this folk art alive and thriving.

In the summer of 2001, I started teaching rustic trellis-making classes and demonstrations at nurseries, garden centers and art centers in the mid-coast and western Maine mountain areas.

I have a good eye for design and function, often working with the natural curves and textures of the branches to evoke a feeling of spiritual connectedness through nature, that will enhance your home or garden. I feel blessed to be able to blend my woodworking knowledge and creative expressions with my love of the rustic genre.

Watch this great video, read this article in the Bangor Daily News, and then check out my latest photos on Picassa!

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