CULTURE
Salt Spring Island is filled with incredible local craftsmen and women. Many local hands put their hard work, ingenuity and passion into the creation of the Mateada.
Meet some of our local craftspeople of Salt Spring Island that have been a key part of our journey:
Leanne Norgard
Leanne Norgard is our beloved potter, handcrafting each bowl and cup on her wheel and using her own made glazes, handcarving intricate designs into some of the pieces we use here at the Mateada. Formerly a geologist, Leanne gets a lot of her inspiration from the sacred geometry and beauty in nature, making incredible pottery sculptures of diatoms and seed pods.
Luke Hart-Weller
Luke Hart-Weller has been a long time lover of wood and trees and the natural world. He has a gift and making woodworking pieces feel living, working with the beautiful natural elements and curves found in the wood he works with. He designed and created our beautiful tables and chairs at the Mateada, co creating with renowned local metal worker Steve Forbes.
Steve Forbes
Steve Forbes handcrafted each table and chair base at the Mateada, as well as our stunning menu holders. Visiting his studio was quite the experience! Hammering the molten metal on the anvil, Steve showed us how much intension, artistry and hard work goes into each piece.
“Mikey” Nelson & Robert Moss
Robert Moss is an artist in every way. He sees the world in shapes and colour, and immerses himself into the spirit of a space he creates. Working with David Karr, he researched Guayakí and Yerba Mate to get a feel for the spirit of the plant and the company. With his unique designs, he collaborated with lead builder Mike Nelson to bring the vision of the Mateada to life. Together with a team of skilled local craftspeople, the Mateada was born.
Edward Mckeever
Edward McKeever of Strong River has a gift of creating a powerful sense of wellbeing through decorating walls, artistic plastering being his specialty. Using ancient techniques and modern design, Edward brought gold to our ceilings giving it a sunny glamorous effect, and rusted our walls making the space feel earthy and funky.
