The Spirit of the Oak

THE WHO

​My name is Donovan, and I am a wood-based artist and the hands behind Duirmoon Studios! 

THE WHEN

​​Originally starting as Diamond Moon Creations started in the summer of 2021, as a 3D cutting board and small woodworking shop before temporarily shutting down early into 2022. It was not until 2024 when I began crafting the projects that began my descent into the world of wood-based art, using reclaimed barnwood and pallet lumber, as well as a combination of handpicked hardwood lumber from lumberyards from around western Canada! This is when I chose to move away from the “woodworking” label and replaced it with “creations”, to show people that the Duirmoon shop is not simply about working with wood but using wood as the medium of my art pieces, so the nature scenes each piece depicts may be crafted from nature itself!

THE WHY

What started as tinkering in the shop as a pastime slowly grew into a mission, and often an obsession, to make a creation that could truly encapsulate the beauty of the natural world we live in! Anyone who has stood at the top of a high mountain and scene that vastness of the world from such a height can attest to the near impossibility of such a mission. However, this unreachable goal is the exact motivation that pushes each new piece to be better than the last! One day I may be able to say, “Mission accomplished!”, but until that day (and probably still afterwards), you will be able find me in the shop working on my next creation, or hunched over a sketchbook scribbling out new design ideas, or possibly walking through the expansive beauty of nature, searching for the next piece of inspiration!

The Duirmoon Studio

"Duir" - the seventh letter of the Ogham alphabet, representing the oak tree and symbolizing strength, protection, and steadfastness

"Moon" - inspired by a close friend who was one of the biggest inspirations behind my journey into the art world