Formerly the Ontario Crafts Council, Craft Ontario is a not-for-profit service organization that works to have craft recognized as a valuable part of life. We promote and celebrate professional craft through providing member opportunities, and advocate for craft practice by educating and empowering diverse audiences.
Jake Whillans makes furniture because he is fascinated by the effect that visual and spatial qualities have on our consciousness. The language of shape and surface is such an immediate mode of communication, that when it is celebrated in the form of a functional object, it has the potential to bring great pleasure to our lives. Furniture and its related objects play crucial yet unassuming roles in the act of living. They guide us through our corporeal actions - supporting daily rituals while adding significance and symbolism to ceremony.
The furniture that Jake makes is subtle in form, and quite often restrained in its use of ornamentation. It seeks to delight through functional proficiency and details that speak to the materiality of each piece. By limiting form, he emphasizes material and, through delicate mediation, hopes to celebrate the physical and aesthetic properties inherent within them.
Jake’s work employs both digital and traditional means of making while a consideration for the longevity and sustainability of his practice underlies every decision that he makes. Jake practice provides objects that are quietly expressive, progressively timeless, and delicate, yet built with an utmost concern for craftsmanship.
Leather Bench
Vegetable Tanned Leather, White Oak / Wet
formlng leather, Bent lamination wood
Leather Bench
Vegetable Tanned Leather, White Oak / Wet
formlng leather, Bent lamination wood
Leather Bench
Vegetable Tanned Leather, White Oak / Wet
formlng leather, Bent lamination wood
Lounge Chair
White Oak / various woodworking techniques
Lounge Chair
White Oak / various woodworking techniques
Lounge Chair
White Oak / various woodworking techniques
Davenport
White Oak, Vegetable Tanned Leather, Plastic
Laminate / various woodworking techniques
Davenport
White Oak, Vegetable Tanned Leather, Plastic
Laminate / various techniques
Barstool
White Oak, Wool Upholstery / various
woodworking techniques, slip seat upholstery
Barstool
White Oak, Wool Upholstery / various
woodworking techniques, slip seat upholstery
Formerly the Ontario Crafts Council, Craft Ontario is a not-for-profit service organization that works to have craft recognized as a valuable part of life. We promote and celebrate professional craft through providing member opportunities, and advocate for craft practice by educating and empowering diverse audiences.