Joe Krutulis

A retired engineer turned artist, Joe Krutulis waited to pursue his interest in art until retiring in 1999 after 25 years with General Motors and Rolls Royce in Detroit and Indianapolis.

Instead of engineering automobiles and parts, today he designs fanciful mobiles, pendants and earrings from dead and discarded wood he finds on his daily walks through the forests of Morgan County.

He started by dabbling in painting and drawing in an attempt to emulate his father, who was a talented theater and commercial artist. However, he discovered he enjoyed creating 3D art much more. He began sculpting in various mediums with much success, including acceptance to the Hoosier Salon Annual Exhibits in 2010 and 2011 and various other exhibits and awards.

Following his success with figurative sculpture, Joe decided to incorporate motion into his sculptures and began experimenting with kinetic art, or mobiles. Finding himself frequently hauling home branches and logs that he found on his daily walks or hikes, Joe began incorporating the deciduous woods of Indiana as the materials he used to create his whimsical mobiles.

Lovingly applying his true craftsmanship to every handmade piece, Joe customizes the discarded wood into fun shapes like musical notes for his “Music in the Air” mobile or bouncy little bicycles for his “Yikes! Bikes!” mobile. He also customizes pieces as tabletop mobiles with appropriate stands for customers who prefer the non-hanging variety.

“Nature’s Jewelry by Joe” came about as a separate endeavor, Joe says, when an art mentor suggested the individual wood elements of his mobiles would make beautiful jewelry.

“With that inspiration, I began creating wood pendants and earrings, some with minerals embedded, and these have proven to be very much admired and sought-after at shows and sales in Indiana, as well as in shops,” Joe says.