Artisan Mazen Jamous Creates Masterpieces from Discarded Wood

The craftsman Mazen Jamous converts left over pieces of wood with extreme precision into a masterpiece, home furniture, decoration of multiple use as they are currently his only livelihood and beloved work for eight years.
Twenty years ago, Mazen started repairing accessories, hand watches and other home collectibles to evolve his hobby by recycling home damaged items and accessories so that they become beautiful and useful pieces.
Later, Jamous specialized in wood. His first experience was to make furniture and collectibles of his house including decoration and kitchen fittings from neglected and broken pieces of wood after being crafted in an artistic style and painted in appropriate colors, as if they were created again, in addition to making baskets, wooden trays and other household items with some additions such as beads, sea shells and threads of various kinds.
His excellence in his profession enabled him to prepare, equip and manufacture wooden decorations for houses, restaurants and hotels whose owners want to introduce wood-made touches because of this material’s aesthetic value if the artisan is skilled and loves uniqueness and artistry.
About the working mechanism and ways to secure the raw materials he needs, Jamous explains, “All today’s materials are expensive and insufficiently available, so I rely on the consumable materials available in nature to reformulate and make them anew, that is, recycling them according to the specificity of the pieces and the desired product, which is a tiring work that cannot be described as feasible work, yet I am determined to continue despite all the difficulties.
Mazen grew up in a family environment with multiple artistic interests. His father, Ali Jamous, is the founder of the National Theater of Tartous, a scriptwriter, theater director and composer, and his uncle, Radwan Jamous, is also a director and theater actor, but Mazen wished that his excellence in wood craft would be different from the rest of his family. He hoped that Tartus’ craftsmen would receive more support and attention by providing them with wider opportunities to offer their heritage product to a broad audience to be motivated and encourage action, innovation and excellence.
Jamous, who was prevented by  special circumstances from pursuing his university studies at the Faculty of Economics, Department of Business Administration, is a member of the Handicrafts Association at the Union of artisans in Tartous and has a workshop in the Handicrafts Market, which is a gathering of craftsmen of the province.

Amal Farhat