By Charlotte Petterson
Alex Ferreira, a Grade 12 student, has been working with 3D art since he was young. In January 2018, he decided to pursue his passion and start a business making ‘live edge’ furniture, where the natural edge of the wood is integrated into the design of the piece.
Alex has been taking art at Collingwood since Grade 8 and enjoys working with paint and drawing mediums in 2D art. When asked about his favourite medium Alex says, "my favourite medium to work with is wood. I like it because it allows me to create whatever I think of, whether I can hold it in my hand, or use it as furniture. Not to mention, it’s a very strong and durable material that looks great too!”. Although he cannot work with his preferred material at school, he finds time outside of school to practice his craft.
Art is meaningful to Alex because he sees it as a way for people from different backgrounds and cultures to show their own unique values. Alex enjoys how diverse art can be, based on influences from those around him and from cultural influences. He is especially fascinated by how many forms art and artistic expression can take.
Outside of art, Alex plays baseball, rugby, and various water sports in the summer. He also has a great appreciation for architecture across the globe, and finds the variety in building concepts and design intriguing.
Alex Ferreira, a Grade 12 student, has been working with 3D art since he was young. In January 2018, he decided to pursue his passion and start a business making ‘live edge’ furniture, where the natural edge of the wood is integrated into the design of the piece.
Alex has been taking art at Collingwood since Grade 8 and enjoys working with paint and drawing mediums in 2D art. When asked about his favourite medium Alex says, "my favourite medium to work with is wood. I like it because it allows me to create whatever I think of, whether I can hold it in my hand, or use it as furniture. Not to mention, it’s a very strong and durable material that looks great too!”. Although he cannot work with his preferred material at school, he finds time outside of school to practice his craft.
Art is meaningful to Alex because he sees it as a way for people from different backgrounds and cultures to show their own unique values. Alex enjoys how diverse art can be, based on influences from those around him and from cultural influences. He is especially fascinated by how many forms art and artistic expression can take.
Outside of art, Alex plays baseball, rugby, and various water sports in the summer. He also has a great appreciation for architecture across the globe, and finds the variety in building concepts and design intriguing.
Alex’s main inspiration is Frank Lloyd Wright, an architect and craftsman. He finds influence in the concept and artistry he uses when designing houses. In addition, Alex finds inspiration from furniture in stores, wondering which aspects of the pieces he can recreate with his own personal and unique twist.
At the moment, Alex loves building small furniture like coffee tables and side tables. He finds working on his art an escape from day to day life. He finds carpentry a way to explore the areas where he can improve as well as the areas he needs to improve on. When asked about his current endeavors, Alex says, “when working on these carpentry projects, I always find that I have areas where I can improve and other areas where I try to push myself. As an example, about 6 months ago I didn’t know a lot about high quality wood finishing and making things look ‘professional’. Through many mistakes and learning about various finishes and oils, I have begun to understand what makes a piece of wood ‘pop’. I think that the fine-finishing aspect of my work has greatly improved since I started this woodworking hobby, but I definitely push myself to find what looks and feels the best.”
In the future, Alex plans to study architecture or community design at university. He notes that he will also do a master’s in architecture if he decides to follow that path. His dream is to run his own furniture design and manufacturing company, although it may not be attainable. Even so, Alex hopes to find a lifelong hobby in creating furniture.
