Jason Fawkes
My passion for woodworking started at a young age, long before I ever owned a mill or a workshop. I was always fascinated by the character of wood—the textures, the patterns in the grain, and the stories hidden inside every piece. That curiosity grew alongside my love for the outdoors, shaping the path I still follow today.
I was born and raised in Campbell River on Vancouver Island, where my family spent countless weekends camping across the Island, and sometimes even venturing as far north as Inuvik in the Northwest Territories. Those early adventures gave me a deep connection to nature that has never left me.
My grandfather Don was the first to introduce me to woodworking. He was a talented furniture craftsman, and one of my earliest memories is of the bunkbeds he built for my older brother and me. Seeing what he could create from raw wood gave me an appreciation for craftsmanship and the idea that wood could become something lasting and meaningful.
With the help of a few close friends, I converted my old wood shed into a kiln so I could properly dry the lumber I was collecting. From there, my journey as a woodworker really began.
As I got older, my passion for the outdoors began to overlap with my growing interest in woodworking. While out camping, I would look at fallen trees and imagine the potential they held—the hidden stories waiting to be revealed.
In early 2020, I bought a chainsaw mill and started harvesting naturally fallen trees from around my community. One of my first stops was the beach near my house, where winter storms often washed up huge logs. One of the very first logs I milled—wood most people would have considered scrap—became the picnic table you see here.
My passion for woodworking lies in telling the story of the tree, from the time it lay on the forest floor or beach front, until the time it entered the home of those who value cherish and showcase its story and beauty.
