Blake’s love of working with wood started when he was very young. Blake and his sister collaborated one Father’s Day – he used his dad’s jig saw to cut out face shapes which they then painted for Father’s Day gifts. He wasn’t even seven years old at the time.

In grade 12 Blake designed and built a beautiful table and lamp – he won a scholarship and used it towards a fine furniture program. Where he designed and built several pieces of furniture including his bentwood reading chair. For the final project the students had to design and built a chair for an exhibit at the end of the year. The exhibit was juried by a panel of furniture makers and an architect, who selected Blake’s bentwood reading chair as best in show, for which he was awarded a bursary.