“Good work uses no thing without respect, both for what it is in itself and for its origin. It uses neither tool or material that is does not respect and that it does not love...It does not dissociate life and work, or pleasure and work, or love and work, or usefulness and beauty...To work without pleasure or affection, to make a product that is not both useful and beautiful, is to dishonor God, nature, the thing that is made, and whomever it is made for.”
These words written by Wendell Berry in his book The Art of The Commonplace express so well my reflections on many years of woodworking. Woodworking for me revolves around Berry’s statement as it is worked out in the following five areas.
Good Work In all my work I try to maintain a vision for what I call “good work.” There is a goodness and wholeness, even holiness, about the creation that surrounds us. There is a depth and beauty that permeates and resonates throughout all of creation from the smallest particle invisible to the naked eye, to the incredible plants, animals, and landscapes that surround us, and even to the grandeur of the night sky. These qualities can, and must be, expressed in the things we create whether in woodworking or any other craft. Work that has these qualities is “good work.”
People I value my clients, and I listen carefully as they express their needs and desires for a piece of furniture. I ask questions to clarify and sharpen those needs and desires until I have a good sense of what my client really wants. Whenever possible, I like to see the space in which the proposed piece will be placed. To the extent my clients desire, I wish to keep them involved in the process of creating a piece from the initial design, through the details, to the finished piece. My workshop is always open for a client to see their work in progress. My desire is that when the piece is completed, it will actually meet the needs and desires of my client, not just for the short-term, but for many years to come.
Design For any piece of furniture that will satisfy and last for a long time, I believe there is a process that leads from the initial thoughts to a successful design and finished piece. The design is kept mostly in the mind initially to keep it fluid and open to the many options that may work. Eventually, a design (sometimes firm, sometimes very tentative) begins to flow from the mind onto paper in the form of very rough sketches reflect my clients desires. Only after the overall shape, size, proportions and perhaps primary species of wood have begun to take shape is it possible to turn to finer details such as surfaces, edges, and other details that will enhance and support the overall piece. Click here to continue...
