WIZARDRY IN WOOD
Meet the man who crafts bodacious backdrops
In the world of social media, you often see people posing in front of awesome murals, artsy walls and other creative backgrounds, and tagging their best friends or favorite coffee shop in the post. And I’m no exception. But few actually question who made that wall of art — let alone tag the artist responsible.
So meet the man behind some of the most Instagrammable backdrops in West Palm Beach. Gerardo Escobar is a 29-year-old Mexican who has lived in Lake Worth since he was 6 months old. A 2007 graduate of Santaluces High School, he is known around town as “Oso.”
“By my junior year of high school, I was already 6-foot-5. At a time I was working as a bouncer at a Latin nightclub called Coco Bongos and the manager started calling me ‘Bear,’” recalls Escobar. “After a few weeks the staff started calling me ‘Osito’ (meaning little bear in Spanish) and 10 years later, it’s still my nickname.”
Today, Escobar is the owner of G.E. Woodwork LLC, a commercial and residential wood decor company that focuses on contrasting textures and branding. He’s been perfecting his skills in this field since he was 13. Alongside his twin brother, Escobar would work with his father and brother-in-law at Shell Construction and Masonry.
“I would work my entire summers starting from the first Monday off to the last Friday. I needed money for school clothes,” said Escobar. “I’ve always enjoyed building things. I found carpentry to be a timeless discipline and craft — especially within my generation — but with endless modern applications.”
Escobar says his inspiration is different for every project and depends on the client. It’s the client’s energy, style and mannerisms that often dictate the direction of his projects.
For him, woodworking is a
collaborative process. He says that brainstorming ideas with clients creates a special experience for him because he gets to see what the person is like on a deeper level. He says his work is usually an extension of that synergy. Conservation also plays a big part in his work. He likes to use reclaimed lumber and be as environmentally conscious as possible.
His work is as diverse as a Home Depot catalog — or even better, an episode of “Fixer Upper” — and as impressive as a ‘#Nofilter’ post.
“It’s very cool when other people like my work and share it on social media. It makes me proud,” said Escobar. “Most people don’t know who made it, but they still appreciate it. It seems more sincere that way.”
Right now, his dream is to be part of Art Basel in Miami’s Wynwood. He says his favorite wall mural is a simple one by Cyrcle in his hometown of Lake Worth.
“It reads ‘BUILD A BRIDGE.’ Being a DACA ‘Dreamer,’ that piece resonates deeply with my soul.”
Escobar received his legal status through DACA in 2014, when he was 24. He remembers how hard it was to find a good-paying job when he didn’t have papers, and he’s a pay-itforward kind of guy — like his dad and brother-in-law did for him.
At almost 30, he is often the youngest woodworker in the room, but that doesn’t distract him or defer his hopes.
“Maybe the interest in trade skills is still there, but work ethic, patience and the self-motivation to be a perfectionist at your craft is hard to find. I’m really looking forward to the day I can take someone under my wing.”
Here are five places (out of many) to see Escobar’s work in West Palm Beach:
Flowers a-floating is like a dream
“The Floating Pots” are probably his most Instagrammable fixtures. Find them on one of the exterior walls at Grandview Public Market in West Palm Beach, close to the bar.
Escobar said it only took about three hours to complete this wall, with most of his time spent measuring the layout so the pots would be even. While this wall didn’t require as much effort as his other woodwork, sometimes it’s the simple things that make the most impact.
So why hang pots on the wall? “The space in that area is pretty dark, pretty dim. I thought putting in greenery to a pretty dark place would bring light in. (Co-owner) Chris Vila’s wife wanted to turn that space into a selfie station — a place where people could tag themselves in. So this served as that and also as a connection from the inside of Grandview to the outside. It just flows better,” Escobar explained.
Zipitios inspired Oso to make something foreign
Zipitios is the only Mexican food stop inside Grandview Public Market. The concrete walls and mural were already there, so Escobar’s job was to bring a contrasting touch.
For this project, he built the shelves and added the corrugated metal to the concrete wall. His vision was to make it very modern and industrial, with a hint of attitude.
The inspiration? “Ricky, the owner,” said Escobar. “If I could explain Ricky in one word, it’s ‘culture.’ Whether it’s food, hip-hop or a fusion of both, that’s Ricky. His restaurant, Zipitios, makes me think of a bodega, a taco place in Mexico or Guatemala with good food and lot of character. You feel like you’re in an outdoor taco stand. But here you are in one of the hottest places in West Palm. I wanted to give people an idea of the food they’re going to have before having it.”
A wood finish to CrazyTrain Crossfit
Unlike most warehouse gyms, CrazyTrain Crossfit in West Palm’s Warehouse District near Grandview is more than an open gray area. This place was the perfect canvas for Escobar to add some texture and color.
It took him about a week to finish two walls measuring 150 square feet each.
Why wood inside a gym? It was all about functionality, he said. “Billy, the owner, needed a touch of accent but also something that he could work with. This wall allows him to put the weight racks on the wall. I also wanted to bring out the color of this brand and still keep some of the natural wood color, so that it looks earthy and balances out the cool colors of the warehouse.”
Oso’s favorite creation
It took Escobar about two months to come up with the interior concept for Celis Produce on Dixie Highway. He built everything from scratch.
They ordered an arjuna tree that came from Costa Rica and was used to make the coffee tables and bar. This is called live-edge furniture. The building there is modern, which he took as a challenge to make it feel like a Celis shop — you know, organic and healthy.
Let him tell it and the joy spreads across his face like an ocean breeze through the palms.
“My favorite project ever!” he said. “These guys give me so much life. They tell me what they need, and they let me go wild. I was going for modern yet earthy. They gave me so much artistic freedom, so I could do whatever I liked and present it to them. They have so much trust in me.”
The most modern spot at Grandview
At Crema, Escobar did the black tile work, with white grout, the framing for the ice cream machine, the wood shelving and the menu. It took about three weeks. The result? A perfect backdrop for ice cream photos.
“I wanted it to look and feel cold. You know, it’s ice cream,” he said. “But like most of my work, I made it modern but still earthy. I love contrast. I try to balance the earthiness with something very clean and modern. I wanted it very clean, black tile, white grout, but all the shelving is made from very rich wood.”
I think what I most appreciate about Oso is how actively he participates in the creative process, working with his clients. It’s what led me to the man behind the walls.
This summer, I stopped at Celis Produce to get a quick breakfast. While waiting for my food, I started staring at the pallet walls, and thought, ‘I want this all over my house.’ So, what do I do? Ask the owners of the shop how they did it. And that’s when they connected me to Oso. They told me this dude was a hardworking genius. I gave him a call.
So the next time you take a photo in front of a mural or artistic background, ask around. You might be surprised who the person behind it is and what else they’ve done.