Raw Talent: Casey McCafferty’s Labor of Love and Lumber

Photos via Casey McCafferty

How many of us actually throw caution to the wind in order to pursue our dream career? Financier-turned-woodworking artist Casey McCafferty took the leap and never looked back.

As a child, Casey was fond of building forts and treehouses, catering to the adolescent playfulness and sense of ruggedness he inherently embraced. Eventually adulting crept in and he grew up to become a banker—call it a tale as old as time. But here’s a refreshing plot twist: That storyline just didn’t cut it for Casey. Inside, he was still the kid in the backyard gathering sticks to build a loft high up in an oak tree. And so, he literally carved out a different path for his journey with his bare hands…one that kept him outside in nature and connected to that little boy within.

Casey’s penchant for the art of furniture making is evident in every custom sculptural piece he creates. Using age-old techniques and hand tools as a means of sculpting raw wood into one-of-a-kind works of art, he infuses an undeniable romance into his craft.

Casey’s creative process is contingent upon the moment. He pulls inspiration from every angle including what he’s reading, watching or feeling, using those emotions and influences to carve shapes and curves that mimic the world around him. The artist’s most recent series, Conversations On A Wall, especially expresses this personal connection as he whittles his thoughts into timber and forges his own internal dialect into something tangible and engaging. At the heart of every design lies a moment in time that’s chiseled out of passion and playfulness. Having fun in the process of creating something beautiful has the power to manifest in the excitement of a finished product.

We may not all be artists and we may not all be bankers, but we all have a curious inner child daydreaming in a treehouse just waiting to be acknowledged and given permission to tap into something more.