Scarab Wood Studio

Works Available

Based in Western Australia's capital city of Perth, Scarab was launched in 1998.  The award winning business was formed when Peter Cook and Ian Collishaw combined their talents to build an innovative business model focused on art, craft, design and fine wood.

Back in the beginning we decided that every piece produced in our studio would carry a distinctive 'marker's mark'; a symbol that would represent the importance of the early and the local environment, whilst also conveying a larger and more mystical appeal.  The Scarab Beetle was chosen because it is both highly esteemed and humble.  It is found in our own home of Western Australia as well as in many other places around the world.  In Egyptian mythology the Scarab was used to symbolise the cycle of life.  In its roll of tilling and fertilising the soil, it is linked to the growth of the mighty trees whose wood we prize so much.  Ultimately the Scarab Beetle is a symbol of good luck.

IAN COLLISHAW

 "My work as an artisan is most often inspired by interactions with our state's South-Western wilderness environments.  I love to create objects which reflect my sense of wonder and intrigue, and illustrate some of the narratives that anchor thse places in my senses.  I aim to produce works which, like our old-growth forests are both unique and enduring. 

Utilising a combination of traditional skills and current technology, my work is a blend of old and new practices in woodcraft.  I am principally concerned with melding the warmth and texture of wood with the tangible 'presence' of an artifact that has been finely handcrafted.  Such an object is a pleasure to hold, and a joy to create."

PETER COOK

"Since my earliest years I have always been active in drawing and working creatively with my hands.  One of my earliest and most enduring influences was an intricately crafted Japanese puzzlebox, received as a gift from my grandparents which I was a small boy.  This magical totem remains with me to this day.

Being strongly visual, I design primarily from an aesthetic perspective.  Organic forms - influenced by my love for the Australian wilderness - contrast with a strong bent towards engineering and things 'mechanical'.  Within these parameters, as a contemporary artist and craftsman I am linked to the past and the future.  My work explores form and function, magic and whimsy."