Restrictions are loosening just in time for Hawaiʻi's Woodshow 2021. It's that rare show where the trees of Hawaiʻi actually come to you.
Hawaiʻi's woodworkers, carvers, and turners are a formidable bunch — and the student category has been incredibly inventive. The pieces include movement, light, secret compartments, it's a fun show.
Forester Irene Sprecher is with Forest Solutions on Hawaiʻi Island. She juried the 2020 Hawaiʻi's Woodshow and knows the state's forest products.
"Hawaiʻi has a forest product industry. It's not like you see on the mainland, but we do have one, and there's so much more potential for it to grow, especially as we think about how do we live more sustainably?" Sprecher said. "You know, maybe we'll never be able to get away from wood imported from the mainland. But there's definitely both an interest and an opportunity to be able to do more with Hawaiʻi-grown woods."
Master woodworker Tai Lake is a member of the Hawaiʻi Forest Industry Association, which sponsors the annual woodshow. Lake first arrived in Kona in 1980.
An architectural woodworker, he found a market for high-quality furniture made from Hawaiʻi wood — launching his own business in 1991.
"The actual making of something and making somebody happy with that is really satisfying. I wish more people had opportunities to do this sort of thing for a living. That's one of the focuses of HFIA, is keeping more educational opportunities available and trying to make that accessible," Lake said. "Every day is like Christmas. You open up a log and you really don't know what's going to be in there."
See Lake's work in Hawaiʻi's Woodshow 2021 — opening Nov. 20 at Hawaiʻi Opera Plaza, just past the Honolulu Museum on Beretania Street. Easy parking. Woods of Hawaiʻi on view through Dec. 5.
This interview aired on The Aloha Friday Conversation on Nov. 12, 2021.
