Baltic By Design
About Baltic By Design
Baltic by Design is a Veteran owned family business in Maine. A daughter and sister joined Rob in the studio. Specialties of the studio are precision laser cut wooden gift items. The collection sells in a range of venues; art galleries and museum shops. The laser cut, handcrafted votives, bowls and games are among the most popular. The geometric drink coasters are a big hit as well. All products consist of concentric circles of Birch wood; light and easy to ship.
The Artist
Rob Jones; a modern day Renaissance Man. Woodcarver, Math Expert, Illustrator, Inventor, Engineer. And Entrepreneur.
Robert E. Jones, artistic early on, drew photo-realistic colored pencil portraits. He served his country in the Navy, earning a degree in electronics. Upon leaving the Navy, he took a job in electronics. This gave him exposure to machinery and high quality tools. Able to use the tools during his time off, Robert could experiment and learn. Visiting his Mom, he noticed a spiral wind spinner, hanging from her woodshed. An image of a bowl, designed with a similar look came to him. This turned out to be a great idea!
The Design
Robert began working on a prototype for his design for the bowl. He imagined a bowl with concentric circles. And realized the bowl would need many wooden rings. To save wood, at first, he cut small rings from the larger wooden rings. Cutting from one flat piece in turn appeared to be the most efficient use of wood. Multiple rings cut this way with a scroll saw was slow. He found a local business with a Laser cutting machine to cut his designs. Lasers cutters emit an intense form of light. And are used to cut various materials like plastic, metal and wood. He bought three laser cutters for his own studio. The speed of production solved, Robert moved on to creating additional designs.
The Collection
Rob's art is computer designed, laser cut and hand- assembled. It is part woodworking and part engineering. And a little Yankee "Waste not, Want not" ethic. In his home studio, the concentric patterns emerge from one piece of wood. There is little wood waste with this process. Assembling and hand-gluing happen next, prior to reaching the final shape. What emerges are eye-catching bowls, baskets and votive candle holders. A selection of intriguing games are available as well.
Dazzling shapes and geometric designs are the hallmark of Rob's sculptural art. He has a unique technical mastery of tools and design. Plus an endless supply of innovative ideas.
He explores the physical limits of creativity. Knowing little of the rules of woodworking, he felt free to violate them. After years of carving, he's anxious to see what he carves the next 30-40 years.
Gift Ideas
The Baltic by Design Collection creates gifts for many occasions. Designs are available in sizes 9" to 18". All are lightweight for ease in shipping. A lovely ruffled edge Blossom basket for a spring wedding. A curvy Spiral bowl for your nephew's housewarming gift. An elegant Fern candle votive for your aunt's hostess gift. The intricate pattern of the 15" Weave bowl could grace your table. Durable and beautiful, great for fruit and candy. Plant pot bases, and even glass pillar candle holders.
Baltic by Design bowls; combine pure material and fine detail. They are great for fruit or bread or decorative table centerpieces. Some people have hung them on the wall as wall art. A lot of the designs are strong enough to stand on. A weave candle holder can hold over 300 lbs!
The Coaster sets are available in many delightful designs. Each is a set of 4 with a cradle-style base and a gift box. Since they are birch wood, people ask how they are with water, and they are great! They are designed to trap the water down in the pattern. Water doesn't stick to the glass; it dries out and does not harm the wood. Leaves, trees, flowers, dragonflies and shells are available as coasters. Geometric patterns; spirals, diamonds, squares and pinwheels as well.
Customer Favorites
Distinctive gifts are a Baltic by Designs specialty. Our customers appreciate the Handmade in Maine, USA label. Votives, bowls and coasters are popular remembrances for Mom's birthday, a friend's retirement, a niece's wedding. Bowls and baskets are at home in traditional or modern settings with their natural wood colors. The large Spiral and Weave bowls are self-gifted on numerous occasions! They make unique office and corporate gifts with a handcrafted feel. Order bowls and votives in multiple patterns as group gifts. And the game collection is fun for all ages.