Uri Kalfa was born and raised in Haifa, Israel. Although he spent twenty five years raising his family in Canada, he has recently returned with his family to reconnect with and immerse himself in the land of Israel. Uri grew up surrounded by nature, learning early on to appreciate its beauty and potential. Olive trees are powerful, imbued with the ability to produce one of the seven species uniquely blessed for and deeply connected to the land of Israel. Uri has always been fascinated by olive trees: their smell, texture, and form that deeply and eternally connect the physical and spiritual. The wood is unpredictable. Each piece is unique in its shape and color. The sheer power of the wood and its produce is staggering. Each creation is unique, both unifying and transcending the physical and spiritual, animate and inanimate, the finite and infinite. Without disturbing or destroying, Uri has been able to connect nature and artistry to both express and reflect essential and fundamental messages. The strength of each piece is tapped in to, its external form based on its internal essence.