DESIGNER WOODWORKS ARTISTS

Designer Woodworks supports a number of local artists from the Comox Valley and Vancouver Island as a whole. We operate a gallery space in Downtown Courtenay to display their work along with some of our custom furnishings as well. Come and see their creations and help support a local artisan!

Nico Koznuik

Owner, operator, visionary and creator of Designer Woodworks Inc. From designing and building homes to developing products that have enhanced the industrial world, Nico has always had a creative mindset. He has a deep love of nature and the beauty inherent within, and is passionate about using the many gifts mother nature provides. Combining these gifts with the use of modern technology, Nico is able to blend mathematics and creativity to develop beautiful pieces of wood furniture and art to enhance the home.




GUEST ARTISTS

Neil Havers

After a 35+ year career as a graphic artist in the Comox Valley Neil felt it was time to explore an alternative creative pursuit, landscape painting. He began his journey in 2020 learning the craft of plain air and studio painting in acrylics. “I’ve always been impressed with the ability of landscape artists to capture the mood and the beauty of the Canadian wilderness with what appears to be simple, elegant strokes of the brush. Not so much! Having said that, it has already proven to be an incredibly rewarding journey that I will pursue for many years to come. There is no end to inspiring landscapes to paint on Vancouver Island."


John Kuhn

John started carving as a hobby in the early 90's. Taking lessons from fellow carvers, jewelry makers, and sculptors, he developed a style of his own. John has competed in carving competitions all over Western Canada and won awards in all of them. He also etches glass, makes jewelry and teaches carving classes. John’s carvings can be found in private collections all over the world. Carving began as a creative pastime and hobby that went a little crazy! He uses many local woods & burls, either alone or in combination with moose antlers, including whole standing pieces.


Ed Traff

Ed's love affair with wood started at an early age. Ed's true passion was working on hollow forms, finials, and with spalted woods. He derived great joy in seeing how different woods reveal their unique characteristics through the process, exposing their chatoyance (the inner beauty of wood).
Featured in Designer works gallery are Ed's woodturning craftmanship. Multiple sized bowls, mini vases, and one of a kind, individually turned, memorial urns


Lorena de Castro Delgado

Inventive Comox artist Lorena creates organic fine-art objects from found, recycled and repurposed materials. An evolution… Her palette includes beach sand, driftwood, shell fragments, ground charcoal from burned driftwood, the pulp of wild blackberries and the recycled fibre of egg cartons and cardboard packing, saw dust and wood shavings. It’s all about texture, colour and form. She’ll even use the deep brown grounds from the full bodied coffee of her native Costa Rica. Lorena, who studied fine art and ceramics at the University of Costa Rica, is inspired by the natural tapestry of Vancouver Island – the forests, mountains, glaciers and beaches. Her bowls, plaques, bottles and sculptures are uniquely lightweight but as strong as concrete. They beg to be both admired and held.


Sue Stanton

Sue Stanton is an artist and photographer based on northern Vancouver Island. Born and raised in BC - mostly in mill towns on the coast. Sue prefer wilderness over city ; thrift stores over department stores ; curves over straight lines. She surrounds herself in color and art. Sue took two years of college in a Media Resources program which focused on photography, multi image, video and design for educational media. Sue, "I really hope you enjoy the work and my creative expression, colour, curves and all."

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