Lucus Macdonald

Belfast, PEI

Lucus Macdonald, Untitled work in progress, 2022. Walnut wood, 23 cm

Studio: How would you describe your approach to your medium? What made you choose it?

Lucus Macdonald: Ignorant and explorative. I have no formal training in carving, so I watched some youtube videos to get started. I actually still look up videos from time to time when I’m not sure how to go about something. So most of my approach has been exploring and experimenting to see what can be done. I’m learning as I go, really. I just took on a new project I got funding for, and it’s really turning out a lot different then I had imagined. I’m finding it quite difficult and things are moving slowly. However, having to learn new techniques to pull off new shapes, will make me a better carver in the end.

Growing up I witnessed my grandfather and father making and building random things. From banana holders to kayaks and airplanes. So I’ve had this mindset that you could just build anything you wanted all by yourself. So after 15 years trying to make a living as a musician I gave tangible art a try. I was nervous around all my fathers loud woodworking machines, so I started with just a knife and a piece of wood. I was hooked right away.

Lucus Macdonald, Hadean small, 2021. Black stain, basswood, 14.5 cm

S: How would you describe yourself, personally and professionally?

LM: Anxiety ridden. Fueled by worry. Caught up and hypnotized by the theater of my ridiculous mind. I hope to be able to eventually respond to this question with: Stoic. I’m diving deeper into a meditation practice. I hope to be less distracted by my own thoughts, to be able to react calmly when the next problem arises.

Lucus Macdonald, Hadean White, 2021. Basswood.19.8 cm x 13.7 cm

S: What inspires you?

LM: The underlying structures, the shapes, the textures, and physics in play of our reality. Why is it so beautiful? The shimmering sunlight off the waves, and ripples on the surface of water. The sound and swaying of a maple tree’s leaves and branches in the wind as I write this. Why does the crispness of a perfect apple and the way a bitten piece pops off remind me of a full moon on a clear chilly night?

A lot of times I’ll have this image in my head of a carving and I won’t bother sketching it. I’ll just start to carve and it won't take long to see that this shape is actually impossible. This crystal clear image I thought I had turned out to be actually quite blurry and utter nonsense. How can I look at this computer screen, type and also picture a pizza flying through the air frisbee style? How strange it is to exist and do anything.

Lucus Macdonald, Extract, 2021. Black stain, Basswood. 13.2 cm x 9.9 cm

S: What do you see as your contribution to the field of your craft?

LM: I think I might be too early in my career to think of my contribution to the field of wood carving. We’ve been carving wood for thousands of years, for now maybe my contribution is that I’m one of few that is still practicing it.

S: What wisdom do you want to impart to younger makers?

LM: Just make whatever. Worry about what it means later. If what you’re making makes you happy, that’s enough.

Lucus Macdonald
w: lucus.ca/
ig: @lucuscraft

This article was published in the Fall/Winter 2022 issue of Studio Magazine.