Kevin Shimkus

Kevin Shimkus

 

Bio - Kevin Shimkus is a Laramie resident who works for the University of Wyoming by day, but operates Archer Woodworking by night.

Born and raised in Upstate New York, Kevin spent a great deal of his childhood in the Adirondacks where he would hike, camp, and ski with his family, including Archer- his grandfather and the future namesake of Kevin’s company. Kevin went on to Texas A&M University where he earned his doctorate in physiology after studying the affects of Space flight on muscle loss.

It was here that Kevin bought some tools and set up a small workshop in his rental as a means to shift his focus and unwind after a long day in the lab. Life eventually brought Kevin and his family to Laramie, where they now find themselves in the mountains most weekends and where his young son Luke can start making some sawdust of his own.


Statement -My woodworking strives to blend function and style, but ultimately, I want to create things that people want to either showcase in their own homes or gift to their loved ones.

Most of my favorite items tend to “do” something: a cutting board for meals, a keepsake box for storing memories, a step stool for toddlers to safely and easily assist in the kitchen.

But wood has such inherent diversity and beauty- I rarely add paints or colored stains to my products, preferring to let the wood’s natural color and grain speak for itself. Who would have known that orange and purple and zebra-striped woods actually exist and that we’re able to use them however we’d like??

It makes for incredible handmade items and it makes for an incredible joy to bring those things to life. Woodworking is also an unbelievable bridge through time. I can use a millennia-old technique then enhance that method with a laser cutter. I enjoy using a variety of tools and techniques in my projects, so long as it builds toward my goal of building a long-lasting and appealing product.

Living in Wyoming adds to that challenge- as wood is a living material it reacts to changes in temperature and humidity, so there’s always a little bit of math and science before shipping a product off to a client somewhere warmer.

Lastly, a lot of my art is inspired by Wyoming life, with my work being accented by animal tracks, dry flies, and mountain scapes.

 

Artist Sunday 12-1-24