The Wooden Jewel is a unique blend of designer jewelry and wood art. Michael and Denise Bryant, owners of The Wooden Jewel, opened their doors in February 2013 in the Sunriver Village shopping area in Sunriver. They decided that after years of traveling to art shows and long days on the road that they could combine their experience and talents in one place and stay close to home.

Michael is an international award winning sculptor. Born and raised in Oregon, Michael spent most of his childhood hunting and fishing in Oregon’s masterful landscapes.

Michael was born with a natural gift for the arts but he wasn’t able to express those desires until much later in life. He worked in the drilling business early on in his career traveling on many environmental and exploratory jobs.

Sculpting animals is truly his gift and where he finds himself lost in the spirits of the creatures he magically brings to life. Sculpting single, solid pieces of some of the most beautiful woods North America has to offer, Michael’s talents are a gift to us all.

“The uniqueness that my life now offers is a cumulative effort of skill, love and passion, birds, mammals, fish and wood,” explains Michael. “These things all interact in an all-organic form. Their beauty lies within their lines of motion. From a raw log, I start with an idea, a feeling, if you will. I go with my intuition and the wood talks to me. The curve of a crane’s neck, the attitude of a horse’s body, these are all things that happen when my work and I are on the same plane. And when that happens, it seems effortless, like I’m in open space with the creatures as they live. It’s as if I am a part of their world for a moment in time.”

Michael has been honored with several awards including the 2007 Best Artisan Calgary Stampede and Exhibition.

Denise grew up in Minnesota and her love of gems and rocks started in the seventh grade when she took a field trip to the limestone caves along the Mississippi River. Her passion for gems led her to attend the Gemological Institute of America, where she gained the formal knowledge of the rocks and gems from her youth. 

The Wooden Jewel, 57100 Beaver Dr. 25-120 Sunriver Village, Sunriver, 541-593-4151, www.thewoodenjewel.com, www.msbryant.com

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