The initial wooden piece Jaminton carved was a tiger. He gifted it to a lawyer he’d like to reconnect with, aiming to request a photo of the tiger, symbolizing his initiation into the profession. Yet, he hasn’t managed to locate her. He met both the lawyer and the profession during his stint in Medellin prison, where he faced a pivotal choice: either succumb to ruin or pursue education. Fortunately, he chose the latter, recognizing wood carving as a means to provide for his family awaiting him outside. At 34, he unearthed his divine calling: a knack for working with wood. Upon his release, he continued to chart that path.

Upon his return to Caquetá, his first creation depicted a cow nurturing her calf, inspired by the area’s livestock. Subsequently, he fashioned a horse, gradually delving into the creation of pieces with a rustic allure. He commenced gathering wood fragments and reshaping them. He’s privileged to dwell in a region replete with mountains, lush vegetation, and an abundance of rivers. Winter fells trees, and the ensuing summer, between November and January, allows Jaminton to collect water-cleansed wood. In summer, he frequents beaches to amass wood, serving as his resource throughout the year. While aiding in the cleanup of riverbanks and beaches along the Caguán, Guayas, Caquetá, San Pedro, and Orteguaza rivers, he aids environmental preservation by preventing deforestation. One can picture him arriving at his workshop, laden with logs, slices, and roots in his truck, prompting neighbors to consider him eccentric. Hence, in his neighborhood, he’s known as “”the rustic.”” If on a trip during another season, he encounters a root, rest assured he’ll engage landowners to acquire it and unearth its potential.

Upon transporting this bounty to his workshop, Jaminton allows each piece to dictate its transformation. Armed with a lathe, planer, saw, and hand tools, he crafts granadillo, achapo, or laurel into furniture, nativity scenes, wall pieces, chairs, lamps, or carved animals. The river-borne woods, seasoned by years of water exposure, endow the pieces Jaminton creates with an enduring quality. Thanks to his experience, he discerns the intended purpose of each wood, recognizing that while any wood can fashion furniture, not all are conducive to carving. Upon stripping a wood of its blackened bark, he reveals its heartwood—the essence of the material. Often, it’s during this cleansing process that he discovers the inherent figure within each log.

Jaminton discovered his niche in furniture carving, complemented by an innate knack for recognizing the potential within singular wood pieces. Periodically, he sculpts animals familiar to him—a majestic rooster, a vibrant macaw, or a stately tapir. He aspires to collaborate with Caquetá’s ornithologists, learning about species and their morphology, translating them into wooden sculptures. Given the region’s wealth of avian diversity, besides its abundant water sources, this would be a splendid synthesis of his craft, talent, and the region’s blessings.