(Photo submitted) Mike Jones and his daughter Elizabeth run Zeke’s Uniques as a passion project.
By BRITTNEY DIAL TESTIN
Mike Jones and his daughter Elizabeth consider their business, Zeke’s Uniques, more of a “passion project” than a formal business. The duo was thrilled to share their creations at the Bargersville Harvest Moon Festival earlier this month.
“Mike has always wanted to share something with the community that is genuinely handmade, not mass-produced, and can be appreciated for the level of effort and skill that went into each creation,” Elizabeth said.
“Mike, nicknamed ‘Zeke’ by a co-worker, began carving folk art figures as a retirement hobby,” she continued. “He previously made Nutcracker figures for friends and family over the past 20+ years, working primarily with a lathe. At this point in his life, he found it difficult to work with heavier equipment, so turned his focus to learning how to handcarve. The craft fairs began simply as a way to share his art and find out if there was any public interest in hand-crafted folk art.”
Mike takes deep pride in his work and has developed many folk art figures with different names, faces, and even personalities. He also hand crafts larger holiday pieces, including Santa Claus, a Christmas Carol themed moon piece, and several Halloween decorations.
Elizabeth is skilled in jewelry making, Halloween crafting and home decor, and vintage jewelry collecting and resale.
“Elizabeth is delighted to meet people who also share a love for Halloween, which she holds in her heart year around” Mike said. “[She] loves festival atmospheres generally as she can share in the talents of other members of the community, from artists to bakers and beyond.”
The duo enjoys planning for the craft shows and creating stock for them. Mike evaluates how many figures he needs to produce based on demand and recent sales. He also caters to designs that are the most popular. He especially loves sharing this experience with Elizabeth and getting to know fellow woodworkers in the community.
Mike and Elizabeth have been pleased and surprised by the number of fellow wood workers in the craft fair community.
“Everyone who has spoken to him about his techniques and tools has also shared their unique process and artistic viewpoint” Elizabeth said. “Mike’s folk art figures are completely unique and don’t follow any mold or pattern. He works with unexpected complications like splits in the wood, knots, unusual shapes, and various issues that occur with naturally sourced materials. Sometimes these issues inspire Mike to go in a whole new direction with the figure he hoped to create originally. You will never see two figures that are exactly alike.”
Catch Zeke’s Uniques at future craft fairs to find the perfect carving for you.
