Semyon Klyuchantsev from Krasnoyarsk: From Expensive Furniture to Wooden Birds

I read the story of Semyon Klyuchantsev, a woodworker from Krasnoyarsk, and wanted to retell it here. He was born in Taymyr, in the village of Nosok, moved to Krasnoyarsk at 18, and trained as an engineer in art materials processing. After the army he struggled for a long time to find work, then helped polish sculptures for the Universiade, and a year later went freelance and rented a corner of a workshop. His first investor was his father, who gave him 50,000 rubles for machines.

At first Semyon made seedling boxes and dishes for restaurants, then furniture; when the pandemic began, orders dried up. About seven years ago he made the first prototype of a wooden bird, spending, by his account, four days in the workshop. A second bird with moving wings won a craftsmen's contest run by a tool manufacturer, and the prize was a machine. In 2020 he made an art object in Yudin Square on the Kacha embankment: 60 birds hanging from trees.

Now his brand, Zastrug, is moving from furniture to toys. Nine months ago Semyon had a daughter, and for babies there is now a bird called Vesnyanka that hangs above the crib. His wife Viktoria handles the business and clients; by his account, income grew after the wedding.

I like the craftsman's thought: the tree grew for 90 years, so what is made from it should last at least as long. It is good to see a man who made expensive tables and lived on little find work where craft and family go together.

Source: V1.ru (NGS24.RU)