Heartwood Managerment

Together, the carving knowledge of Joe Valasek and automated manufacturing process experience of Joe Olma and Martin Grant covers a large range of creative, technical, and artistic areas. Because of this Heartwood Carving has the ability to create (design carvings in all classical styles), innovate (produce new styles of carving and production) and perform (meet and exceed technical, design and production challenges). In fact, we always welcome challenges and ask that you contact Heartwood Carving with yours.

Martin Grant

Martin Grant has an interest in Celtic art and design, and has produced a portfolio of Celtic artwork.

Martin Grant comes from a background in Design, Engineering and Production. His responsibility has been to adapt existing CNC machines to provide the high quality product that is the hallmark of Heartwood Carving's product line. Using state of the art technology, he has taken proven methods to develop tooling and procedures that will faithfully replicate the intricacies of the original artwork. As a sideline, he also has an interest in Celtic Art and Design, and has produced a portfolio of Celtic artwork.

Joe Olma

Joe Olma comes to Heartwood after 10 years of entrepreneurship in aviation, (designing and building full sized blimps), fiber optic displays, (major examples all over the world including Shanghai, Tokyo and Times Square in New York) and CNC fabrication. This background brings a diverse array of management history to call upon and he handles the company's daily affairs. Joe is a graduate of Sciences from McGill University in Montreal, Canada and has experience in business contracts with customers on the US west and east coasts, and also China, Russia, Japan, South America, and Europe.

Joe Valasek

Joe Valasek provides years of wood carving and sculpture knowledge with a focus on carved landscapes and relief artworks.

The founder of Heartwood Carving, Joe has spent over 25 years developing new ways to carve wood. After a stint in The Burnley School of Art in Seattle, Joe developed his craft by carving for sailboats in the Caribbean and across the Atlantic. Studying techniques of German carving in Bavaria raised his skill level and planted the seeds which would later grow into Heartwood's techniques. Back in the US, Joe has produced large carved artworks for major corporations, public buildings and museums. For his carved columns in the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center in Washington State, he shared in the Presidential Design Award, the highest award given by the National Endowment for the Arts.