Owner, Draftsman, Joiner, Carver, Finisher, Deliverer, Installer, Photographer
Growing up, Wes worked with his father, a home-builder, roofer and remodeler. While studying for his professionally unused Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology, he met a lovely young woman and convinced her, against the counsel of several of her concerned professors, that it was not a ridiculous idea to marry him (boy, did he get the better end of that deal!) Within two years, they had converted to the Catholic Church and started their family. Also during college, Wes started his foray into other skilled crafts – predominantly the “mud trades” of tile, drywall, and pottery.
Having been interested in woodcarving since childhood, he did not have an opportunity to get into the craft until 2015, when he was commissioned to design and build the appointments for a small convent chapel in Cincinnati. Since then, he has had the great privilege of working almost exclusively in ecclesiastical woodwork: restoring late 19th Century Gothic Revival pieces, as well as designing and building new pieces from candlesticks to whole sanctuaries and just about everything in between.
Design Consultant, Color Specialist, Statue Restoration, Fine Detail Painter, Secretary, Bookkeeper, Website Management
Kelly Baker has found herself wearing many hats over the years… and absolutely loving it! She is a devoted wife and mother of six beautiful children, who love her dearly. In addition to her normal duties of cooking, cleaning, homeschooling, and listening to Wes ramble on and on... and on... ...she somehow finds time to help with the family business.
A talented artist in many different media, Kelly is an irreplaceable part of Contrasts Woodcarving. Her incredible dexterity with artists brushes is frequently called on in the last stages of a project. But her excellent taste and expertise in color are always in high demand, not only on projects in the Contrasts woodshop, but also in consultations for parishes and homes beyond the scope of our work here. Her skills in statue repair and paschal candle decoration are showcased on our site.
In addition to her artistic gifts, Kelly also has a knack for organization and functions as the secretary, web designer, and bookkeeper for our business. While these roles are, in many ways, less exciting than the other work she does, they are absolutely essential to Contrasts, and we could not remain in business without her!
To see some of the fruits of her other artistic labors in embroidery, sewing, rosary making, and painting, visit her store "RoseFoot" at the link below:
Part-Time Apprentice, Shop and Delivery Assistant, Errand Boy
A fine young man, Juniper Baker is making his first foray into the world of manly work. While he has no set hours, he is happy to come help his father chop mortises in the shop and to help on delivery, installation, and measuring days whenever he is needed.
Juniper loves serving Mass with his younger brothers, playing Irish fiddle, reading, sketching, and working as a 10th Century Irish reenactor. We are all very excited that he will soon begin his apprenticeship in blacksmithing!
Various Degrees of Assistance, Comic Relief, Emotional Support, and Patience Development Team.
Rounding out the team are our younger children who are absolute blessings and who are always ready to help in whatever capacity their age allows. They can often be found sweeping up (read: playing in) the copious shavings layered on the shop floor, stippling backgrounds (their favorite), watching studiously as their father carves, asking rapid-fire, stream-of-consciousness questions at random, vigorously turning the manual grinding wheels to help sharpen tools, helping with deliveries and installations, or just “seeing what you are doing...”