Tell and Show

We all pick up certain things from family. I would say some are due to nature and some are due to nurture. Heck, we even get some things that come from both nature and nurture combined. What is even better is when those things coincide with your interests.

My family seems to have quite a few artisans. I am sure that way back down the line it was from necessity, but those traits have survived the testing of time and can still be found within both my mom's and dad's side. Stitching, quilting, jewelry making, and woodworking to name a few.

I have always had a creative side that I have toyed with in drawing, cooking, writing, and other stuff. Sometimes the creativity comes out looking beautiful (or tasting wonderful), but most times it feels like it comes out significantly short of what I feel inside. Recently though I think I seem to have found a medium for combining the creativity with the artisan in me.

Last fall I took a class on woodworking which was a much friendlier environment for my personality than other woodworking classes I had in the past. We started with a simple box. Through the ten week class the teacher had commented that I seemed to have a natural feel for woodworking. He then asked me if I was interested in building anything else, and I didn't hesitate to say yes because I was enjoying it so much. As strange as it may seem I can get lost in the beautiful meandering of a piece of lumber's grain. I even find that it is often the undesirable portion of wood that has the most beauty in it. Come to think of it, this probably isn't all that strange for the Kool-Aid Gang because I know certain members who can easily get lost in their stuff too - painting, sailing, etc. I digress. Since the class I have built a coat a rack. It is something I have wanted to do for a long time, primarily because I wanted to use a lathe. The funny thing is that I used the lathe for a very small portion of my coat rack. The process was fun, and I have made a really good friend in the process.

Here are some pictures. They aren't the best lighting, but they will suffice. I carved the hooks by hand, and fell in love with them in the process. The stand is walnut, and the hooks are curly maple. The horizontal stripes you can sort of make out in the hooks is a phenomenon called figure, and I think it really makes them pop.