I will admit it – I knew generally what I would be doing the rest of my life when I was probably four. My favorite all time book both then an now was Harold’s Purple Crayon, the story of a little boy who dared to dream; drew his dreams; and then would have them become reality. Crockett Johnson spins a mesmerizing tale of Harold who would fight the urge to sleep and instead draw cities and monsters and oceans all of which became real to him. Of course Harold would go on fantastic journeys in the landscapes that he drew.Me too! Except I didn’t have a purple crayon, mine was green. Much to my parents disgust my drawings ended up on the bedroom wallpaper. I loved Harold. Still do! His book sets on my bedside table. I have never gotten over the concept of assembling ideas from an abstract universe of possibilities so that people can actually live in those ideas that have become reality. Harold drew cities with buildings that all had lots of windows. My work has become much more intimate, I build homes.
Before the homes was the furniture. While the other kids were out in the neighborhood playing tag I was in the woodshop building toy boats. The boats gave way to candlesticks and bowls that I turned on a lathe; the candlesticks evolved into furniture. The process of putting pieces together has always fascinated me. In my late teens I realized that you could actually put pieces together to build furniture that you could live in - and you could earn a living doing so. I was irrevocably hooked! For the last thirty-two years that is exactly what I have done.
The advent of electronic media has given us an abundance of options. Where ideas used to be very localized because of the lack of social media, today we can share a thought, an inspiration, a dream, and have it be all around the world in a matter of seconds. Shared knowledge is power. That is what I hope to do with this blog. Oh sure, I still build furniture as a hobby (and refinish even more than I build), but more on that later…. The ideas and inspirations that have fueled my dreams becomes the source of much that I have to share. Come follow along as I passionately pursue the thoughts of a grown up boy with a crayon!
