Josef Gereige & Olga Genetzaki

Crete's creative duo

• Josef and Olga source their wood locally
• They opened their workshop in Archanes, Crete, in 2020
• Josef teaches woodturning to help revive the craft

Josef Gereige is a self-taught woodturner who learned the craft by watching videos on the internet and later taught his life partner, Olga Genetzaki, as well. Josef studied Civil Engineering and Olga specialised in Urban Planning Engineering, backgrounds that have helped them to learn woodturning, as they were already familiar with the material's properties and knew how to design. Their love for wood, introducing long lost wooden items into the lives of people and teaching the craft to newcomers is their way of reviving the tradition and being innovative at the same time. What they both love about this craft is the creativity, the ability to transform a piece of wood into something beautiful and the smile on the peoples’ face when they look at it or touch it.

Interview

©Josef Woodturner

©Josef Woodturner

Why did you choose this craft?

Olga: Since our first successfully crafted item we fell in love with the idea that from scrap wood we could make an ornament or a utensil. The feel of the wood, the smell and the great result of the turning process all contributed to choosing this path.

How is your craft linked to the place you live?

Josef: Crete is an island full of olive trees and many other species that are great for woodturning, which makes our location ideal as a source of raw materials. Moreover, we get inspired by the archaeological findings in the area, especially the rhyta that were used in the Minoan era.

Why did you choose to work as a team?

Olga: We both share the same love for the craft. Josef is more experienced in woodturning but we always like to cooperate in the design of each item. Throughout the whole process an objective ‘eye’ is needed to ensure the item’s quality, so the one who is less involved in the making is usually the quality controller.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

Josef: In many cases, the wood itself gives a hint of what to do with it. Like sculpting, woodturning is an act of removing material and the final result is hidden within. Also, the wood’s grain is different in each piece; the form we give to each piece helps highlight its grain.

Josef Gereige & Olga Genetzaki are rising stars: they began their career in 2016 and they started teaching in 2017

Works

©Josef Woodturner

©Josef Woodturner

©Josef Woodturner

©Josef Woodturner

Where

Experiences

Live demonstration in woodturning in Crete

1 Hour

20 EUR per person

Advanced woodturning course: hollow forms

10 Hours

450 EUR per person

Advanced woodwork course in face turning

10 Hours

400 EUR per person

Woodturning intensive course for beginners

15 Hours

450 EUR per person