Kirchner was born and raised in South Tyrol, a German-speaking region of northern Italy. For almost a decade, he traveled Europe as a one- man band, playing guitar, drums, and harmonica. Eventually, his creative energy turned to woodworking — a passion he has pursued for over 25 years.
Entirely self-taught, Uli’s process blends imagination with technical skill. His tools include chainsaws, bandsaws, scroll saws, and sanders, with which he shapes wood. Sustainability is important, so he repurposes discarded materials and uses every part of the tree — building with lumber, and inlaying with twigs and sawdust. Most wood is from the western U.S., especially Oregon and California.
Many pieces are spalted (marked by natural fungal patterns), and he treats them like pigments. He also embraces imperfections like knots, holes, and cracks — adding in materials found on hikes: twigs, rice, stones, eggshells.
With “offcuts” and burls that spark ideas, he is guided by the wood itself, and each piece evolves during the process. His whimsical “castles” and “villages” are cut with a scroll saw — towers magically emerge with each precise cut.