PHIL WRIGHT
Phil is a native of Cottonwood Arizona. He married his childhood sweetheart Maija and they both completed their schooling at Mingus High in Jerome Arizona. After school he went to Denver Colorado to study as a land surveyor and civil engineering which ended in the realization that this was not his passion. He then joined his father in his construction business back in Cottonwood.
Phil succeeded in the construction business and some famous buildings in Jerome were built by Phil and his father (including RAKU Gallery). When he retired 20 years ago, he started crafting wood into beautiful pieces. Raku Gallery is proud to showcase Phil’s incredible ONE-OF-A-KIND masterpieces. He crafts using local Arizona wood, mainly Alligator Juniper, and fills the natural gaps of the wood with turquoise.
Alligator Juniper seems to respond to the local vortexes which cause the tree to form a spiral twist within its trunk. The wood used in each piece is several hundred years of age (Exact unknown).