Throughout
my life, I had an appreciation for good craftsmanship, but never thought of
myself as a "craftsman". I did the usual projects around home and occasionally
built utilitarian items. Around 1998, I became more interested in learning to
build nicer projects with better materials, in large part due to reading woodworking
magazines. I studied the characteristics of different types of wood and began
to understand more about how to utilize them. Taking the time to look at each
piece of wood to see what it holds within showed me that, as impatient as I
had always been, that I had to change in order to be a better artist. Yes, I
said the word - "artist" - never thought of myself in that way before. Anyone
can take some boards and slap them together into a serviceable and even nice
looking project. The artist examines each piece of material to ensure it is
used in the right way in a project. Sometimes, I'll wait for a piece of wood
to tell me what it wants to be! Sound crazy? Well, try it sometime.
My creations include mostly solid wood. Some items, such as the compass table
(above, center on this page) incorporate a multitude of techniques including
veneers for the marquetry on the top panel and the badges on the apron, bentwood
lamination for the curved apron, bookmatched pieces for the column and feet,
and inlay elements for emphasis. I hope you enjoy viewing my creations and will
send me your comments about them. |
