Nudo Wood Studio
Manually turning a product of nature. What a simple, authentic, and artisanal thing. The seeds of the ash trees, walnut trees, olive trees, and oak trees germinated and he shaped them. No two are alike. Unique pieces. The most beautiful thing there is in this profession.
From his workshop in Granada, he makes art objects that are used daily in kitchens, living rooms, dining rooms... An ancestral manufacture treated in a modern way that gives elegance to our spaces from simplicity and good treatment.
Aquiles Gutiérrez is the one who puts his heart -and his hands and ideas- into this beautiful project and today, in the following lines, he explains to us more about his life, and workshop:
Hello Aquiles. At what point in your life did you decide to change the direction of your profession?
Now, with perspective, I would say that I never changed direction, I simply did not point in the right direction. The turning point was perhaps when, after closing my children's furniture workshop, I worked for a year as a carpenter. We made kitchens, cupboards, we put up doors, flooring… I learned a lot there, but I wasn’t completely happy. I liked wood, but not that way. So my mind started looking for something new, and I discovered the lathe by chance. I thought it would allow me to develop a more artistic side, so I left work and set myself a goal of six months to sell my pieces. I started turning with great intensity and quantity and it worked.
Do you have a favorite piece of yours or a type of wood?
I couldn’t choose just one piece. Each one has its reason for being and for me, they are all special and beautiful. That is to say, if I have shown it to you, it is because I like that piece. You won’t see anything that I don’t like beforehand, that is my filter.
I couldn’t choose just one piece. Each one has its reason for being and for me, they are all special and beautiful. That is to say, if I have shown it to you, it is because I like that piece. You won’t see anything that I don’t like beforehand, that is my filter.
What is your favorite place in Granada?
A walk in nature with my dog and my partner. I am more of a mountain person than a city person. The city stresses me out, so I try to avoid it.
Do you listen to music while you work?
Of course! I couldn't miss it, although it is true that sometimes I like to work in silence, so I can hear my thoughts. I listen to the radio and save the songs I like in my playlist that I listen to later at home.
What is the furthest place you have sent a piece?
Chile. And also, I would never have imagined sending a piece to Israel. That's the charm of the internet.
What is your most complex tool?
Perhaps the most complex is the lathe itself, but it's not that it's complex, it's simple, very simple, but it requires patience and work. The tools I usually use are a jigsaw, rotary grinder, radial arm, miter machine, and sanders...
Do you have any hobbies outside of your work?
Well, I love cinema on the big screen. I also like music, comics, and crime novels. I love walking in the mountains and sports in general, although I don't do it regularly. I play tennis, surf, or snowboard when I have time.
If you could have a conversation with a historical wood artist, what would you talk about?
The truth is that my references are current. I follow the work of international woodturners, sculptors, and ceramists. They are disciplines that are intertwined and draw on each other. If I had them in front of me, I would question them and write down everything they told me. I'm not too talkative, I like to listen to what others have to say.
Do you use a computer in your creative process? What do you think of Artificial Intelligence applied to the arts?
I don't use a computer. I make sketches by hand and often the final piece has nothing to do with the outline. Sometimes I start a piece with an idea in mind, but as I shape it, my approach changes and so does the piece.
Artificial intelligence is something complex. I, who want to convey an emotion with my work, would not use it. For me, there is a story behind each piece: my story as a creator and that of the client as a buyer, and the two come together. I find it difficult for an AI to tell my story, but I will never say never…
How do you see wood craftsmanship in the coming years?
Good for some, bad for others. It depends on who you ask. For me, craftsmanship must be linked to excellence, quality, and modernity. I find it incredible that there are still businesses or artisans who are not on the Internet…
Personally, in my case, I see it very well, honestly. If you offer a quality product, and you show it as it is, it is difficult for it not to work. Wood is a material that will always be valued, for what it transmits to us and what it makes us feel. Not long ago we lived in the woods, and our brain remembers that. Wood has something that makes us feel at home, it is a sensation, I wouldn't know how to explain it, but people who touch a piece know what I am talking about. So, for me, wood craftsmanship and wood in general are and will always be present in our lives.
Our previous protagonist, Enrile, left this question in the air: Do you consider that you have dedicated yourself to this by vocation?
Yes, although with nuances. I only knew that my path was focused on art, on a more artistic and manual expression. But working with wood was not planned because I didn't know about it, I discovered it along the way, which in the end I think is how most of us arrive at what we like. Now I love what I do and I feel that I have finally discovered something that makes me completely happy. As they say: "you find your passion when you do something that you would do for free."
Can you leave us a question for the next protagonist to answer?
Yes, what would you say has been the most difficult moment in your career and what did you learn from it?
