A COUNTRY LIVING working with wood and bark. I appreciate the artistry but also the use and purpose. One of my favourite sayings: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” And when he’s not working with wood, you’ll find Jack wildcamping in the woods with his wife, Hayley, five-year old daughter Lyla and toddler, aptlynamed Hazel. Lyla’s first wild camping experience was at just three months. “You can’t beat a night sleeping out, looking up at the stars through the trees.”
by Tracie Beardsley
Some of the items made during Jack Fazey’s classes: spoons, woven baskets and bark containers. All images Courtenay Hitchcock A few simple hand tools are used to create the majority of Jack’s projects. The Axe, Froe, Knife & Saw are the tools he uses the most.
Quick-fire questions with Jack: Favourite TV show? Anything Sir David Attenborough does. I also like the Repair Shop. Ideal dinner guests? David Attenborough along with tribal elders. I’ve always been fascinated with the way indigenous people see the world. We need to listen and learn from them to save our planet. Best book? Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall-Kimmerer - an astonishing work of science and beauty. Everyone should read it.
Jack’s happiest outdoors - when he’s not working with wood, you’ll find him wild-camping in the woods with his wife, Hayley, five-year old daughter Lyla and toddler, aptly-named Hazel
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Favourite tree? Birch – it’s not only beautiful but has so many uses. Its bark is probably the oldest form of making containers. It resists fungal growth so it’s ideal for food storage. It’s a great firelighter in the dampest of conditions and in spring, you can drink its sap which is loaded with nutrients.
