Kyle McGuire grew up in Northern California and attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. As a multidisciplinary artist, he explored several creative mediums in search of the one he enjoyed most. In the meantime, he joined the U.S. Forest Service as a ranger and firefighter. A severe knee injury sustained while fighting a fire in 2012 prompted McGuire’s retirement, followed by surgery and a long recovery period.
"My sister was living in Colorado Springs and had just had a baby," he says. "I decided to visit so I could help her and continue to recover. I fell in love with Colorado Springs and decided to make a permanent home here."
McGuire spent his initial days building decks and tearing down old structures across the city when he stumbled upon the wreckage of a century-old home. Salvaging a discarded bundle of historic floorboards, he took them home and transformed the forgotten wood into a beautiful table, breathing new life into history and charting a new path for himself.
"I felt a sense of purpose and empowerment while building that table," McGuire recalls. "It wasn't perfect because I was still learning, but it inspired me to learn more about woodworking.” He began creating things for friends and family, which led to a commission from the Colorado Springs Switchbacks soccer team to build 15 tables for their concession area. McGuire quickly formed an LLC and created his business, True Blue Woodcraft.
"The name came to me immediately," he says. "My approach to woodworking is genuine and authentic. I create things that last, are beautiful and have character. I take pride in creating real woodcraft with integrity."
The logo for True Blue Woodcraft features a whale, an animal McGuire chose because of his upbringing near the Pacific Ocean. He also tends to see whale forms hidden inside the lumber. "I usually notice a knot in the wood that resembles a whale eye, and then I notice a whale’s form in the wood grain."
Guided by intuition and an artist's eye, McGuire hand-selects lumber based on its unique color, grain and natural flow, favoring walnut for its abundance and character. This artistic vision is backed by a commitment to sustainability, using ethically harvested and locally sourced timber whenever possible. Local sourcing also ensures the wood is already acclimated to the dry Colorado climate to prevent future warping and cracking.
McGuire’s artistry thrives on the organic; he creates one-of-a-kind pieces by refusing to hide natural flaws. "Wood is not perfect and never will be," he says. "I embrace this and feature the imperfections that contribute to its beauty and the character of the piece."
Today, True Blue Woodcraft focuses on custom furniture and functional cutting boards tailored to each client’s specific needs. Looking ahead, McGuire aims to expand his artistic boundaries by crafting high-end, whimsical statement pieces, with a long-term dream to open his own gallery and retail storefront.
To browse McGuire’s portfolio or commission a unique heirloom piece, connect with him through his website, truebluewoodcraft.com