Craig Forget is a Windsor, Ont., carpenter who makes wall art – intricate maps or nature motifs or, simply, abstract patterns – using a rich palette of reclaimed woods. Black walnut, white oak or red cedar. The array makes for particularly arresting cityscapes.
The range in tones, from ashy and dark to bright and light, perfectly captures the agglomeration of buildings in any long-standing urbanity. It's easy to imagine that some of the model skyscrapers are century-old and soot-covered, whereas others are gleaming and new. His map of Chicago, for example, is made with more than half-a-dozen types of lumber.
All the wood was salvaged from tumbledown Southern Ontario barns, the oldest of which date back to the late 19th century. The mixed ages of the material perfectly capture the texture, patina and history of the great city. Prices vary. Through sondermill.com.