Jorgensen Wood Studio is based in the historic district of Five Points, Jacksonville, Florida.  He used to sculpture as a teenager but was not able to maintain his interest during his family-raising years. Now that his two children are older and have left home, he has taken time to reacquaint his love and passion for sculpturing in wood and has been designing and creating unique pieces since 2022. With his re-found passion, he has had the pleasure and privilege of bringing his creations and visions into reality with a wide assortment of wood types and subjects.

Please reach out if you are interested in commenting on the pieces, want to share stories, or provide helpful advice in some capacity.

 

Source of Wood (and Inspiration) for my Sculptures

 

All of the wood sculptures displayed are original ideas.  They are made out of wood that has a meaning to me that makes me want to preserve the woods’ history.  My office is in historic Riverside, a great walking community in Jacksonville, Florida, and I look for pieces of raw wood that have meaning to me.  For example, one of my first projects is “Purged in Fire” made from the wood of a camphor tree.  Not only does camphor wood smell exquisite when carving it, but it makes a beautiful sculpture.  My neighbors had to cut down the camphor tree next to their house.  I took a few small pieces and wanted to preserve the memory of that tree that had brought joy for many years.  Hence, I carved my first sculpture as an adult.  I started by carving the two faces out of a small piece of camphor wood and then mounting it on a larger piece of the camphor root.  When I applied the finish, it was such a beautiful golden red, just like a hot fire.

 

The following sculptures were the two beta fish made from a piece of a Gum tree that I had to remove from in front of my office.  I loved that tree and hated removing it so I memorialized the tree in a sculpture.  Every time I look at the beta sculpture, I have fond memories of that tree.

 

I think I enjoyed sculpting the angel fish the most.  A different neighbor was remodeling his four-plex apartment in the neighborhood and he had to remove small portions of the supporting Cyprus columns on the face. The wood was over a hundred years old when it was used to build the four-plex and the four-plex was over a hundred years old.  Instead of placing the scraps in the trash, I salvaged them and carved many sculptures, including the angel fish and the small cobra.

 

I have used wood from my son’s home in South Carolina where I frequently visit.  Every sculpture includes its history, and I attempt to keep those memories alive.

 

Thank you.

Mike