Cultural Council

Today I was at the Uxbridge Town Hall reading an oath and getting sworn in as a new appointed member of the Uxbridge Cultural Council.  I'm very excited about the position and the opportunity to work with other council members.  The term is for three years.

Sherwood number one

Below is an image of a table I designed and made in my second year at Sheridan College.  The table is made out of solid walnut and walnut veneer.  The curved door was made using wacky wood plywood and walnut veneer bent over a form and laminated using a vacuum press.  The solid walnut panels are joined together using biscuit joints and bed fasteners to accommodate for wood movement.

The legs are and shelf supports are made out of solid aluminum rod.

The shelves are suspended as is the small drawer inside the cabinet.  I've made this table five other times for different exhibitions.  I was lucky enough to get the table published in the spring 2000 edition of Canadian House and Home magazine.

Pyramid Candles

My brother Mike has always been my biggest fan and advocate.  When I was visiting him last week I spotted this pyramid candle he has that I made more than twelve years ago.  The base of the candle is made out of solid cherry with aluminum tubing.  The cherry stock is laminated together to form a block measuring approximately five inches square.  I then drill two inch and a half diameter holes on two sides of the block and insert inch and a half aluminum tubes. I then tilt the band saw table to ten degrees and cut off four sides, cutting through the wood and aluminum, creating a pyramid.  All sides are sanded.  The aluminum holds two tea light candles perfectly.  I finish the candles with an oil finish.

My First

Last week I was in Toronto visiting my family.  When I was at my brothers I took these photos of his kitchen.  This was the first kitchen I made.  It is a colonial style kitchen made out of solid oak, with raised panel doors that have a natural finish on them.  I was living in a basement apartment at the time and did all of the woodworking in my living room.  The door, drawer pulls and hinges are made out of brass with an antique finish.  It was nice to see that after twenty years it still looks like new. 

The plywood furniture book is coming along nicely.

Below are a few images of pieces that are in the book.

Very Beginning Woodworking

Yesterday afternoon I taught a children's woodworking class at the Eliot School in Jamaica Plain, Mass.

The kids were elementary school age.  I had a blast.  It felt great to teach again.  I'll be there again next week.

The school is small but the wood shop is well equip.  Below are a few images of the wood shop.

Uxbridge Library Exhibition

Liesl and I are having a joint exhibition at the Uxbridge library .  The opening reception is on Thursday April 11th.  The exhibition will take place on the third floor of the library.  We will transform the beautiful historic room into a temporary gallery.

North Bennet Street School

Last week I visited the North Bennet Street School in Boston's north end.  I was given a tour of the facilities and met some of the faculty.  The school is so steeped in tradition and history. North Bennet offers classes in cabinetmaking, preservation carpentry, piano technology, jewelry making, violin making, bookbinding and locksmithing.  When I was there the students of the two year full-time cabinet making program were busy working on windsor chairs.

North Bennet Street School was incorporated in 1885 in Boston's North End as North Bennet Street Industrial School.

The school's founding mission was to enable immigrants to adjust to their new country by learning the skills needed for gainful employment. Pauline Agassiz Shaw, the school's founder, was committed to teaching the wide variety of skills needed for immigrants to succeed. Through various social services, such as educating children in the kindergarten, recreational activities and prevocational and trade training, the school helped generations of Boston's immigrants make productive lives in their new homeland. Over the years, vocational training classes were offered in pottery, printing, sewing, sheet metal work and watch repair as well as the carpentry, cabinet making and jewelry making classes that remain today.

North Bennet Street School has evolved over its more than one hundred year history while retaining its core commitment to train individuals for employment using time-honored methods and skills.

North Bennet teaches and upholds the principles and practices of the craftsmanship tradition — including skillful use of hand tools and power equipment, informed choice of materials, creative problem-solving grounded in knowledge of the best practices of the craft and a dedication to the highest quality work. 

Students in the cabinet and furniture making program learn the fundamental skills needed to make the full range of furniture types. Projects are typically based on traditional 18th- and 19th-century furniture designs because traditional models require the hand-skills and woodworking techniques that are the foundation of the NBSS curriculum.

This photo shows instructor Steve Brown with a student.

The Eliot School

Last week I visited The Eliot School in Jamaica Plain.  The Eliot School offers classes in crafts and fine arts for all ages.  The school has been around since 1676 when thirty-eight residents of Jamaica plain donated land to support a school.  For two centuries the school educated Africans, Native Americans and colonial children from John Eliot, local farmer and Apostle to the Indians. 

In the late 19th century the school turned its focus to the arts.  " Manual Arts," traditionally practiced at home, were disappearing in modern cities.  Called on to supplement Boston's public school offerings, the Eliot School taught woodworking, cooking and more.  Manual training schoolteachers followed, then instruction for adults, then children's after - school.

Today the school is well known for teaching a variety of diverse classes to all age groups and it's historic site.

I'll be teaching as a substitute teacher for the very beginners woodworking class.  I'll be teaching Jan 28, Feb 4 and Feb 11.  I can't wait' 

Museum Seating

I saw these walnut benches  on the main floor of the Worcester Art Museum.  These quirky benches are fantastic.  Sculptural and functional with a sense of whimsy.  My hats off to the museum for having a sense of humour.  Museum climates can be a little stuffy, these benches are a nice edition to the surroundings.

Art Museums' Contemporary Gallery

Since the 1980's American born artist Willie Cole has explored the iron as a form.  It is symbolic of the domestic labor of his African - american female fore bearers. 

Deeply affected by the protracted violence and civil war in her native Colombia, Colombian born artist Doris Salcedo began a series of narrative sculptures in 1992 built around found doors and based on first hand evidence from victims' families and loved ones

Below is a piece of work from my favorite artist Louise Nevelson

Her work has so mush power and movement in it.  The sculpture below is displayed as a two dimensional work yet it is three dimensional.  The work is painted black,  a stark contrast against the galleries white wall

Museum continued

I love the variety in this collection.  The inlay and veneer work in some of the pieces below are awesome.  The museum also has an Eames DCM chair.

 

Worcester Art Museum

Yesterday Liesl, Quinn and myself went to the Worcester Art Museum.  Admission is free from 10 am - 12 am the first Saturday of each month.  Below  are a few images of some great pieces of furniture.  

The museum has a great collection ranging from period pieces, arts and crafts and modern.

Black and White

I'm not going to be in the studio much lately.  I'm back at working on the book.  I have to finish a bread side table for inventory.  The white bread box is going to look great against the black legs.