Glowing Dreams of Translucent Wood

SunDrops: another new collaboration with David Little

2011-11-13T11:00:00.010-05:00

David Little is a fantastic blacksmith in Meredith, NH. You can see older posting on my blog about other pieces we have done together. He and I began collaborating in 2004, and almost every year since then, we have come up with new projects to create together. Some are commissions for clients, and some are for exhibitions. This summer we premiered an entirely new design concept for the Living With Crafts exhibit at the League of NH Craftsmen's Annual Fair at Sunapee, NH.

It began as a drawing I made five or six years ago, but we never actually built it. I have always liked the concept, but since it is more three dimensional than our other pieces, the sketch could not do justice to the essential forms, so we never got a client interested in commissioning this piece. This year, we took the leap of faith to build it for the LWC exhibit, and it could not have been a bigger success. David and I love the way it came out, and it opens up a whole new branch to our growing portfolio of designs. It also won two prestigious awards at Living With Crafts: Best Collaboration, and Best in Contemporary Design. There were so many amazing pieces in the exhibition, so we are honored to be selected by the jurors.

An interesting bit about how the design evolved: the original drawing was quite a bit taller and proportionally narrower, and that form is equally dramatic. But it would only be appropriate for a room with a very high ceiling. In coming up with the final drawings for LWC, it was obvious that it needed to be re-scaled to suit the exhibition hall. In doing that, we realized it could easily be scaled in many ways: wider or narrower, taller or shorter, and with shades as small as 10" diameter or as large as 18." All the variations we played with looked good! What we settled on is a fairly small rendition, which was appropriate for the space and also the Terry Moore Table over which it was going to be placed.

When we had it all built, we realized it needed a name. Originally we had been referring to it as "Tri-Icicles,"

which made more sense when it was a much taller form. But in this shorter configuration, it looked less like icicles. And when the shades were suspended from the steel and lit up, the coloration and glow was so much warmer feeling than anything having to do with ice and winter. Although it is not literally mimicking any natural floral form, it seemed reminiscent of something growing and organic. Suddenly the word "SunDrops" came to

mind, and that title resonated instantly. Now we couldn't imagine it being called anything else!

One other note about this piece. Working on two dimensional paper to draw three dimensional forms is limiting. The interplay of lines sweeping through space is entirely different depending on what angle the piece is seen from. And even if I can imagine what the lines on the paper mean when it is translated to three dimensions, it is far from an ideal way to present to a prospective client – the dynamic range of dancing shapes is confusing and ambiguous. So I am now learning how to make 3D models out of copper wire and tubing, annealing the metal so it bends sinuously, and soldering the joints. I still have to work out some tricks for how to hold the odd shaped pieces together while I solder, but the process of bending and arranging the components is fascinating. Just a simple thing like taking three arc-shaped elements and holding them together in different ways provides for infinite choices. The aesthetic and functional results are fascinating. I have no doubt that this new way of designing is going to open up a lot of new project opportunities.

The League's New Home

2011-03-12T22:19:00.005-05:00

The League of NH Craftsmen is the oldest state craft organization in the country, runs the oldest craft show, and is truely an amazing operation that supports the making and makers of fine craft in ways that are very dear to my heart. I have been a juried member of the League for almost 30 years, and have served in various volunteer roles for almost all of that time. The most recent involvement for me has been on the Building Committee which has helped to overseen the League's huge endeavor of building a new home. In July, we will move in to the new digs, which are on Main Street in Concord, across from the Capital Center for the Arts. We will own half of the first floor of a new building built by Steve Dupree. The public spaces will include two gorgeous gallery spaces, an area in the lobby for demonstrations, a large multifunction room (can be divided in to two smaller spaces), a classroom, a studio workshop room, and a library. Also efficient offices and storage, modernized technological, and best of all, lots of handcrafted objects to make this new building glow with the feeling of what the League really represents: the meaning and beauty of hand made objects. I am on a subcommittee that has imagined how handcraft can be incorporated, solicited our juried membership for submissions, and made the choices on what to use.

My involvement does not stop with committee

work. I am part of a 5-person team that is creating the reception desk in the lobby. It is so much more than a desk, more like a giant organic sculpture that also serves as a functional workspace. The lower part will be based on a frame of cherry and walnut made by Seth Keidaisch, filled in with enameled copper panels made by Steve Hayden. David Little and Steve will embellish those panels with black iron branch-like lines. Suspended above the granite counter will be 9 cherry panels carved by Jeff Cooper with images depicting craftspeople's hands at work. Those panels are suspended on freeform black iron structural elements. And dropping down from the ceiling will be snakey black steel tubes that will hold up five of my minipendants. The drawing at the right gives some impression of what the piece will look like, but believe me, it will be so much more spectacular. There are many details and rich colors that were impossible to capture in a sketch. When it is done, I will try to get a new blog post up that gives a visual tour.

Banksia Light Galore

2011-03-12T22:02:00.003-05:00

Last summer, I posted a blog entry about my first Banksia seed pod lamps. At the time, it was a new concept for me, and quite interesting. I never would have guessed how much other people would respond to these beautiful and bizarre natural objects. During the summer I quickly sold all the lamps I made with the Banksia bases, and ordered more pods. So now I am well set for Banksia bases thru the summer. I also ordered a third batch of the "whopper" pods.

When this third box arrived, it was obvious that I had scraped the "bottom of the barrel" of what was available, since these were smaller. Still much bigger than the usual 6-7" pods that I have seen for years, this last batch was more like 9-10" long. Too small for making lamp bases, but perfect for a new product: candlesticks. I made the first pair as a special order, and now have some more made up for the upcoming Marlboro craft show. Again a very dramatic and functional form that takes advantage of the unique appearance of the pods. Along with the table lamps and the candlesticks, I also make tea lights and oil candle lights out of the pods, and it makes quite a collection of illuminating creations.

What I learned is that Banksia pods are mainly harvested in March and April each year. And the "whopper" pods that I am interested in are quite rare, perhaps about 100 are harvested each year. I seem to have an inside line on purchasing these, and at this point, and am buying more than I am using, so that I can make sure that I stay ahead. Fascinating how an annually renewable resource can also be so extraordinarily rare.

Bryce Canyon Floor Lamp

2010-07-29T22:59:00.007-04:00

I just posted a blog entry about one of my two entries to the Living With Crafts exhibition, where you can read about my table lamp made with a Banksia Seed Pod. The second piece in the exhibit is the one pictured on the right. It is made with a fantastic piece of Redwood Burl, combined with the lighter color parts made of Sugar Maple. The burl parts came from a single thick plank of Redwood, and the color and grain patterns are densely packed with swirls and eyes. The Maple is not as wildly dramatic, but has an interesting side story. It came from a tree I cut down when I built our home 30 years ago, and I cut the planks with a chain saw mill. One of those boards has been buried in the back of my wood shed for all these years, and finally resurfaced this winter, in time to become a part of this project.

The title of the piece is Bryce Canyon Floor Lamp, because for me it is loosely reminiscent of the bizarre natural stone forms in Bryce Canyon National Monunment in Utah. At the bottom of this post is a photo from Bryce, where you can perhaps see the influence. It is one of my favorite places on earth, almost seems impossible that such a place could be formed naturally.

There are other influences that relate to this form. You could say it looks a bit like a sand castle dribble-tower. It also looks a bit like one of the spires of Gaudi's cathedral in Barcelona, a form and an architectural marvel I have always felt attached to. And finally, I connect this floor lamp with a stone fountain made by Louis Pomerantz that I have been lusting after. In any case, this idea of rounded shapes piled up on top of one another is clearly a new aesthetic for me, that I think I will be exploring more in the future. I am most curious to hear comments from you if you have thoughts to share.

Living With Crafts: Banksia Table Lamp

2010-07-29T22:28:00.007-04:00

I have been working with Banksia Seed Pods for a couple of years, since Kathy and I went on a trip to Australia and actually saw the pods "in the wild." They grow on a hardwood tree native only to that country. There are actually 175 varieties of Banksia, most of which produce pods that are much smaller, acorn to plum size, and the ones we saw in person were very small. But in the deserts of Western Australia, Bull Banksia (Banksia Grandis) is much larger, from 4-16” long. When flowering, they are even larger, since each of the tiny bumps on the surface sprouts a long spike of flower petal forming a shape that is like a giant bottle brush in yellows, greens, and reds.

Interestingly, the Banksia name comes from Joseph Banks, the famous botanist on Captain Cook’s vessel, The Endeavor, as it circled the globe in the 1700’s in what is rightly considered one of the greatest missions of geographic and biological discovery.

Banskia pods resemble pine cones in a general way, but they are much more dense and heavy. That makes them strong and substantial. They are extremely difficult to carve, since the internal structure is brittle and honeycombed with the empty seed cavities. And they are also impregnated with micro-grains of sand from their desert habitat, and that dulls tools quickly. So I mostly work them by literally grinding away the material to get the best form for my purposes – not the most fun way to turn wood, but the results are so stunning, and I keep going back to this material.

There are several layers to a Banksia pod. The outer crust is grayish and bumpy, punctuated by smiling lips at the edges of the seed cavities. Then right after that is a layer of crimson felt that almost seems unnatural in it’s softness and perfection. Under the felt is a rock-hard core that radiates out from the central pith. Each pod is different in shape, arrangement of cavities, and coloration of the core.

Until this spring, the largest pods I could obtain in this country were maybe 8" long, great for candle lanterns. But this year, I found a source for a few extraordinary pods that were 11-14" long. That made it possible to make a lamp base using a single pod, with a wider base made of a different kind of wood (Teak in this case). The results are stunning, with the light shedding down over the varied surface textures of the pod in ways that really picks up the felt areas, the dark cavities, and the wild grain textures.

What a dramatic combination for the warm glow coming thru the side of the shade.

The photo at the top is of the table lamp that will be in the Living With Crafts exhbition at the Sunapee Craft Show (more accurately known as the Annual Fair of the League of NH Craftsmen). Hopefully you will get a chance to see it there. But since making that one, I have made four others using these pods, with different forms and different companion wood for the bottom disk. The photo below shows a whole seed pod.

New Table Lamp design for the Balsams Hotel

2010-02-07T17:24:00.007-05:00

I have been privileged to be a demonstrator at The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel for one week every summer since 1995. Guests at the hotel get to watch me make small wood lampshades, and work with me hands-on making smaller accessory items. This coming year I expect to be there in July, probably the week beginnning July 5. It is wonderful in every way: I get to meet interesting people who appreciate my work; I am productive: I get to work in the most beautiful place imaginable: and since we don’t demonstrate every single hour of the day, it is semi-vacation of a kind. And I could not recommend the hotel more enthusiastically! You will never be treated better, or have better meals. Come the week I am demonstrating and we can connect in person. Check them out at http://www.thebalsams.com. Or look at my earlier blog posting about this demo gig at http://woodshades.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html

I feel deeply connected to the hotel and it’s commitment to the summer artisan’s program, the overall pursuit of quality and personal attention to detail, and the long history of one of the “grandest” of grand resort hotels in New England. In 2005, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of my demonstrating, I donated a table lamp to the hotel, and it is part of the decor of the spectacular Tillotson Suite. I also have a small table lamp on loan to the massage room in the spa.

After consultation with Jeff McGiver, the managing director of the hotel, I designed a new table lamp base that is exclusively associatied with the Balsams. Two of the lamps now sit proudly in the registration area of the lobby, and I am more of this lamp design available for purchase by guests and appreciators of the Balsams. This has been a lovely project for deepening my connection to The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel, and representing that association with a tangible and artistic expression.

As you can perhaps perceive, the design is reminiscent of a conifer tree, and relates to the many beautiful trees on the hotel property, and to the logo of the hotel, which is comprised of three balsam fir trees in a circular frame. The lamps in the lobby have 16” tall bases and are about 30” tall overall. But the concept can be scaled to whatever dimensions you need.

Visual Narrative of Collaborative Floor Lamp with Ted Blachly

2009-07-19T12:02:00.012-04:00

Ted is a fantastic furniture maker, and this year we decided to collaborate on a floor lamp for Living With Crafts at the Sunapee Fair. He started with a concept that was something I would call "refined folk art, with a fairly literal vision of an african woman, colorfully painted. After creating a half-size model and decorating it, he decided to go to a more abstract and elegant plan made out of Mahogany, with a Wenge base plinthe. Ted has given it the name "Zuri," which he says means "beautiful" in Swahili.

Below you can see a series of photos that Ted took as he progressed thru models to finished pieces, and ending with a shot I took yesterday of the complete shade and base combination. On Tuesday it gets delivered to the exhibit, along with my pair of collaborative table lamps with Sharon Dugan, and my dining table hanging light fixture titled "Le Grand Jete."

Come see this unusual piece of woodworking at the Living With Crafts exhibition in Newbury, NH at the oldest craft fair in the country, the League of NH Craftsmen's Annual Fair, August 1-9.

New Focus on New Lamp Bases

2009-06-12T06:31:00.006-04:00

What I am most known for are my translucent wood lampshades. After making them for 16 years, I have no less passion about making the shades. In fact for the past month or so, my energy level has increased, and I find myself working longer hours and chomping at the bit to get in to the shop, seven days a week.

But over the past couple of years, I have also developed a renewed fascination with the lamp bases t hat hold the shades up in the air, and make them functional. For years, most of my bases have been out of Mahogany. Originally I used many species, but early on I noticed the most people were choosing the Mahogany and ignoring the other choices of wood. Mahogany has a special warm glow when illuminated by the light from the shade, something in the grain and color make it stand out from the crowd.

Then a couple of years ago I began using Camphorwood Burl for a few table lamp bases – see my July 2008 blog posting to learn more about that specifically. The Camphor bases have been popular, and I try to keep 2 or 3 Camphor Burl bases in inventory at any time. It is hard to find good pieces of the wood, and it is very expensive to purchase the raw chunks of the material. So I keep a web bookmark for the source company easily available and try to check it every day or so, to see if anything new and special has become available. Going to that web site has had a side benefit. I kept seeing other interesting photos of pieces of wood that they had, and this winter, I purchased a few other blocks, and expanded my experiments with new species for table lamp bases. There are challenges in this. I get to see a photo of the piece of wood before making the purchase, but that only provides a vague hint about what the wood will look like. And I never know how wet the wood will be – wet wood introduces the chance of cracking in the drying process.

But the result of these experiments have been fabulous. You can see in the photos below lamp bases made from Cocobolo Rosewood, Wenge, Dalmata, and Osage Orange. All four of these show off colors and grain patterns that relate well to the lampshades, and add a higher level of interest and uniqueness to the entire lamp setup. There are two downsides to my experiments with new species for lamp bases. One is kind of funny: I can't figure out how to display all of these new goodies and also keep showing my older "tried-and-true" designs in Mahogany. Second. all these unusual species are much more expensive than the Mahogany, so the that has an impact on the total price for a finished lamp. In this economy, that might be a disadvantage. But..... oh boy to these look great! And I will keep making plenty of the perfectly lovely Mahogany bases.

And I have other pieces in process. I have roughed out shapes for bases made of Madrone Burl and Bois de Rose (a rosewood species from Madagascar). In the meantime, take a look at these photos of completed piece, I hope you agree that this set of experiments is worth exploring.

Collaboration with Sharon Dugan

2009-06-04T10:29:00.007-04:00

At long last, I am back to blogging, with a number of ideas of what to say. Sorry about the hiatus!

Sharon Dugan is a truly fantastic basketmaker, who I have known thru the League of NH Craftsmen for perhaps 15 years. I have always admired the intricacy of her work, and her aesthetic vision. She has a commitment to doing things right, by hand, by herself that I respond to strongly. This winter, I proposed to her that we do a collaborative effort for the upcoming Living With Crafts exhibit. We came up with a plan for a matched pair of table lamps. I turned a couple of columns of wood, and she created a woven splint design to cover those columns.

Now that she has completed her work, I have created bottom-disk and top-cap parts and assembled the entire bases. Still to come are the matched shades, but I have temporarily put a shade on one base to give a good idea of what the whole piece will look like when the pair is exhibited at the show in Sunapee, NH from August 1-10.

FYI, the pair is available for $4000 for the set. If they do not sell together, they can be purchased individually at the end of the exhibition. We are very excited about the results of this collaboration and would entertain other commissions in this general style.

Click on the title of this blog posting "Collaboration with Sharon Dugan" to be taken to her web site. It is www.sharondugan.com

Balsams Grand Hotel Demonstration Week

2008-08-26T21:34:00.005-04:00

The Balsams is an amazing Grand Resort Hotel, in northern NH. Far far far Northern NH, seems like it is almost off the edge of the map of the USA, and in some ways if feels like it is off the edge of the 21st Century! The scenery is fantastic, the food is heavenly, and they have an unusual craft and art demonstration program that is both supportive of artistans and entertaining and informative to the guests. Each week during the summer, a different person sets up their equipment and a display of completed works, and the visitors spend time viewing and learning, and often getting involved in a hands-on basis.

2008 is my thirteenth straight year being involved with the Balsams. It is a huge physical effort to get all my stuff up there. I have even built a special water-filled lathe for making small lampshades on-site. But once I am set up, I love the whole experience, which is so different than a craft show. The interactions with the guests are leisurely, and the beauty of the location is simply breathtaking. My demonstration area is outside under an awning I build, and when I gaze out over my lathe, I am looking upon spectacular gardens, a lovely lake, and right up into the rugged cliffs of Dixville Notch. I am prone to exclaim to the guests that for one week each year, I have the most beautiful "office" in the world.

Last week I worked on lampshades and bottle stoppers outdoors, and also helped a lot of people have their first experience holding a turning gouge and making shavings. Many of them are young, sometimes less than 10 years old. And then some are guys who have not turned since high school, and that may have been 60 years ago. There is joy and amazement as they hold the gouge and discover how it works, how to control the cuts, how to reveal the beauty of the wood. I keep it safe by holding my hands on the gouge from the side, but after the first few cuts, my instant students are already doing most of the control and application of effort.

Being at the Balsams is a working vacation for me. I get lots of useful work accomplished, I sell my work and make great connections with prospective clients, and Kathy and I are guests in the hotel ourselves, which means we get to eat the award-winning meals and use the amazing facilities. I hope you someday get to enjoy the Balsams yourself as a guest. Think ahead to July of next summer.... I don't yet know what week I will have next year but it will probably be in early July.

Check out their web site to get more information: http://www.thebalsams.com

Camphor Burl Lamp Bases!

2008-07-28T11:03:00.009-04:00

I am again recognizing how infrequently I post here, my apologies. But I do have something "hot" to talk about, a material for making lamp bases that is simply amazing. Camphor is a species of wood that grows in the entire Pacific Basin. I see specific references to Borneo and Taiwan, but apparently it is more widespread. It has become an invasive species along river banks in Northeast Australia, and major efforts are going on there to eradicate or control its spread. As I understand it, is is basically a weed tree, but it does have one commercial product that is extracted from the wood: Camphor Oil. Here are a couple of interesting tidbits that I picked up from Googling:

"Steaming the tree’s bark or wood creates a white, crystalline, and odorous substance, a substance that was once believed to hold magical properties, but now has scientifically proven medicinal qualities."

"The therapeutic properties of camphor oil are analgesic, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, cardiac, carminative, diuretic, febrifuge, hypertensive, insecticide, laxative, rubefacient, stimulant, sudorific, vermifuge and vulnerary. Camphor oil can be used in the treatment of nervous depression, acne, inflammation, arthritis, muscular aches and pains, sprains, rheumatism, bronchitis, coughs, colds, fever, flu and infectious diseases."

Most of the Camphor oil produced now is synthetic, not from Camphor trees.

Anyway, there is a company in Oregon that imports blocks of burlwood from Camphor trees, and they are gorgeous. Early last fall I bought one and made a lamp base, and it sold instantly at the first show where I exhibited the piece. The same thing happened with the next two Camphor Burl pieces I worked with. So now I am convinced that it not only me that sees Camphor Burl as being an excellent material for making lamp bases. The combination of this wood with my shades is really stunning. The warm light of the translucent wood lends a dramatic extra oomph to the amazing colors and swirling patterns in the burlwood.

The wood is amazing to work with, it is heavy but very workable, cutting smoothly. It is mostly very solid and stable, not honeycombed with cracks or bark inclusions. Each piece is quite unique, some swirl patterns are tight and small, others are large and evenly spread over the entire piece. But from a wood turners point of view, perhaps the most remarkable thing about working with Camphor is the smell of the wood. As soon as I make the first cut, my shop is full of the most amazing odor, it would remind you a bit of Vic's VapoRub, but much much more pleasant. For so many years, I have had an annual winter cold, but not this year. Does that have to do with my breathing in the medicinal qualities of the Camphor? Who knows.... but I like the smell. When clients buy a lamp made of Camphor, I am providing them with a baggy of the shavings, a small memento of the process of crafting that base.

I have gone a bit crazy for Camphor Wood. In addition to the three I have already sold, I have now completed 8 more Camphor Burl lamp bases for the upcoming League of NH Craftsmen craft fair at Sunapee next week. And I just ordered 4 more chunks of the wood. The raw material is quite expensive, so of course there is a premium to be paid for these bases, but they are so remarkable. I feel sure I am on the right track, and that my commitment to this new direction will be something that you will all enjoy.

Wrist issue that I deal with...

2008-02-05T20:44:00.000-05:00

In my post a couple of days ago, I referred to my wrist problems. And that I worry that over the years this blog could start to sound more like a medical history than an artist's journal. So I will try to keep this brief, if you want to know more, you can ask me and I will pass along a longer email (it even includes x-rays) that I sent to some friends recently.

Four or five years ago, my right wrist started to hurt, and there were some particular processes in my work that seemed to exacerbate things – specifically sanding the interior surfaces of the shades. A cortisone shot helped for a while, but mainly I swapped things so that I was working more with my left hand. That worked for a long while, but in October, I suddenly had major pain in my left wrist. It took a long time to recover enough to allow me to get back to lampshades, but three months later, I got back to work. In the meantime, I was able to do small projects. Mainly that meant bottle stoppers, which are lots of fun, and very popular with my clients. But not making lampshades was a shock to my system. To a very large extent, I define myself as the person who makes these lampshades, it is challenging and interesting for me to make them, and I take a lot of pride in these large turnings. To some extent, I suppose this was a sneak preview of my future: at some point in my life, it will become beyond my physical capabilities to make lampshades. But not yet, not for 10 or more years I hope!

What happened to get me back to "shade-shape?" Well laying off surely helped, gave my wrist a chance to recover. And I developed a couple of technical solutions so that the steps in making a shade that were the most stressful on my hands are not so bad anymore. Finally, just at the point where i was able to get back to work full time, I also saw a terrific hand expert who explained what was going wrong, and understanding the underlying issues turned out to be a great relief, almost exhilarating.

To make a long story short, I have extra long ulna bones. The ulna is the smaller diameter bone running the length of our forearms. I have probably had this condition my whole life, but the work I do has brought it into play as a problem. There is a name for this: "ulnar impingement syndrome." The head of the ulna bone is getting pressed against a pad of cartilage that is in my wrist, kind of below my pinky. Seeing my x-rays and comparing them to the structure of a normal wrist is remarkable, and the diagnosis is very obvious. I have irritated that cartilage pretty badly in both wrists, maybe there is some small amount of shredding there too.

The good news is that I have adapted my work techniques to reduce the impingement issues. Even better for the long term, there is a surgical procedure that would shorten my ulna bones, and it is supposedly very safe, and does not put me out of action for too long. I don't have any plans to get this surgery soon, maybe never. But if and when I need it, I will get it done and move on. There should be no reason that this medical issue will stop me from making shades long in to the future!

Hooray!!! So now I am back to work full time. It is taking me a while to get back to full strength, but the shades are getting made, they are as good or better than ever, and I am happy to be doing what I want.

Been too long since my last post

2008-02-01T20:54:00.000-05:00

Wow, hard to believe I have let things ride this long without a new post. I could say I was too busy, and that is an excuse that has some credence up until October. But for three months beginning in early October, I was unable to make lampshades, due to a wrist injury. I guess i will tell you more about that in another post, but I have this fear that my blog will become a running inventory of the nicks and bruises that come from being a turner of large scale objects, at an age that seems to be catching up to me. I will try to keep that under some control so that this does not sound like the TV show ER!

In any case, I am now back to work full time and trying to catch up. I accumulated a large batch of special orders to do this winter, more than I have had for many years, and sales were great throughout the fall. So, I guess my legitimate excuse for not posting to the blog will be in effect again. Still, I have lots of stories to tell.

•• The wrist injury, for those of you who want that sort of info.

•• A lovely huge commission that got installed in November

•• Our trip to Australia over Christmas to visit the exchange student we hosted last year.

I could also tell you about our Empty Nest Syndrome, as our son has gone off to college. Or my newly revived interest in photography. Or you could ask me questions about my work, my passions, whatever. I am never sure anyone is actually reading this blog, so please let me know what you find interesting. I will try to post about the topics I listed above, in the near future.

Thanks for reading, Peter

"A League of Our Own" -- Movie about the League

2007-06-02T10:18:00.000-04:00

In my last post to this blog, about the League's 75th anniversary, I briefly mentioned the movie that the League has commissioned. Now allow me to expand on this subject.

This movie was created by Ken Browne Productions, from NY City, and has been in production for two year. It is an hour long, and will be shown on NH Public TV on July 18, and probably other times during the summer. The style is basically in the Ken Burns vein (he made the Civil Wars, Baseball, and Jazz documentaries for national public TV). The movie is called "A League of Our Own," and it does an incredible job of capturing the history of the League, as well as explaining what is important to the League, and what makes fine craftsmanship important in our culture. I can't speak too highly about the production values and the dedication that Ken put in to this effort.

And I am happy to note that I have some presence in the movie. Ken interviewed me about a year ago, and there are three places in the movie where my voice is used to explain some aspect of the League or of fine crafts. Those sections are accompanied with images and video of my lamps and of me doing some work on the lathe. At the very end of the movie, there is a section about how craftspeople are moving forward in to the future, including the internet...., and you will hear me talking about this very blog that you are now reading.

As I said, the movie will be shown on NHPTV on July 18, and it is being pitched for national public tv distribution as well. It is also available as a DVD from the League http://www.nhcrafts.org/pdf/DVD-Order.pdf or by calling 603-224-3375. If you have any interest in the meaning of fine craft, or in the League, this DVD is well worth owning.

League Turns 75!!!

2007-06-02T09:53:00.000-04:00

The League of NH Craftsmen is the oldest state-specific craft organization in the country, and almost the oldest craft organization of any kind. And this year the League celebrates it's 75th anniversary. In May, the League had a wonderful party at the Grappone Center in Concord. I was hugely impressed by this event. There were 300 people on hand, including Governor Lynch. Laura Knoy, the well known voice of The Exchange on NH public radio, was the host, and she did a great job. The speeches were fascinating and well deserved awards were given to a couple of long time ((and world renowned) craftpeople in the League. A silent auction was held that raised $9000 for the scholarship fund.

Many of the people in attendance had significant historical connection to the League, and many of them I have not run across for a long long time, so there was a lot of reminiscing. And a lot of self-congratulating for the huge strides the League has made in the past 10 years under the leadership of Susie Lowe-Stockwell, the Executive Director. In terms of financial stability, reputation, the tightening of jurying standards, and the overall well-being of craftspeople, the League has never been in better shape.

The party was more than simply a one time event. To me it represented a deep well of support for the League, and a high level of morale and goodwill towards the organization. That speaks so well for the future prospects of the League of NH Craftsmen.

One wonderful way that the League is celebrating this anniversary is thru the creation of a fantastic hour long video. That movie had it's world premiere at the party, and I think every single person in the room was newly informed and emotionally affected by seeing this production. I will talk more about the movie in another blog entry.

This picture is of myself and Gary Kalagian, who is chairperson of the hugely important Standards Committee of the League.

Incidental National TV Shade Viewing!

2007-05-20T12:42:00.000-04:00

On Friday night, I got a call from a friend: “Turn on ABC right this second!” So I did, and there was an interview with a celebrity,..., and one of my table lamps was prominently displayed in the background. This was World News Tonight with Charles Gibson, and they were showing a 5 minute segment on their Person of the Week, Paul Simon. The lamp shows up maybe 3 or 4 times.

It was a nice ego stroke for me, even though probably hardly anyone else noticed. Still, if you are curious, you can check it out on this link: http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3190827 -- it starts with a short advertisement that cannot be avoided, but the piece is quite interesting. I have no idea how long ABC keeps this link alive, so eventually it may expire.

Back-Saving System Installed in Shop

2007-05-20T09:09:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I had severe back spasms. I have had them before, but this was much worse. Probably the cause was my own failure to do as much stretching as I normally do. Anyway, it scared me a bit, and I resolved to figure out some ways to make my work a little easier on my back, and therefore hopefully to prolong my career as a heavy-duty woodturner.

My good friend Kevin Plunkett is a fantastic jeweler, but he was originally trained as a mechanical engineer, and has all sorts of metal welding and cutting tools. More importantly, he is ingenious at figuring out gadgets and systems to solve unusual problems. Best of all, he is the kind of person who jumps in with both feet to help! A friend indeed!!!

What we decided on is an electric winch for lifting the heavy Aspen logs from the floor up to the lathe level, and a trolley that moves the winch along an I-beam so that it can be positioned exactly as it is engaged by the two ends of the lathe. Maybe that sounds simple, but it was important to figure out how to hold it up to the ceiling in a totally safe way. In the end, the weight of the system and the log are suspended from a total of 9 roof trusses.

Two unintended benefits arose from the installation of the winch system. First it also allows me to lift the lathe bed extension in to place. The extension is used only occasionally, when I make floor lamps bases, but the thing is probably 300 pounds and very awkward. Now I will create a wheel system for moving it along the floor, and the winch will lift it in to place. Hooray!

But the more subtle and interesting benefit of the winch is the total freedom it has given me about when I start the work of making a shade. In the past, I could only begin making a shade when Kathy or Tom were around to help me lift and position the heavy Aspen logs chunk, some of which approach 200 pounds. They both have busy lives of their own, and Tom is off to college next year...., so the process of “logging on” was something that needed to be planned. Now with the winch and trolley system, I can begin work on a log whenever I want. That may not seem like much, but in reality it has made me more productive. Late in the afternoon, when my muscles are warmed up and I happen to have some free time, I can put a piece on the lathe and get some of the initial work started. Maybe I even do that with 3 pieces, one after the other. The most heavy duty aspect is done when my body is best able to absorb the jackhammer vibration.

Kevin is now building me a system for moving the logs from my outside chain sawing yard to the floor near the lathe, and a related system for grabbing the log with the winch, both of which will provide for less physical stress. So.... from the excruciating pain of the spasms in my back have come some real and innovative solutions. All thanks to Kevin. He has my deep gratitude for the assistance and the dedication.

Catching Up, Exciting Projects and more

2006-10-28T19:30:00.000-04:00

It is hard to believe I have not posted to this blog since March. It is probably a good indicator of how busy I have been; it seems like I have been going non-stop since then and taking time to compose a blog entry just hasn't risen to the forefront of my priorities. But I know that about 25 people visit this blog every week, so I should keep on top of it better. Anyway, here are some things that have been happening...

The NE Woodturning Symposium in May was a huge success, with lots of demonstrators, a huge trade show and perhaps 400+ woodturners on site during that day. And the event was a big fundraiser for worthy causes, with about $10,000 in profits funneled to Pinkerton Academy's woodworking program, the Guild of NH Woodworker's scholarship program, and the Guild's regular operating budget.

Once I was done with being the overall coordinator of that event, I was fully back in to my own woodturning activities, and business has been good. The League of NH Craftsmen's 9 day fair at Mount Sunapee was a wonderful success, and lots of work has come my way thru other leads and venues.

One particular project was a great challenge and had great artistic rewards. I designed a piece for a home near Philadelphia that involved three large shades hung from an black steel spiral created by David Little. The piece hangs in a very tall and narrow entry way to their home, and in terms of size and drama, it is a giant step ahead in my career. I feel sure that this type of work will lead to other creative projects. There is a picture of this piece at the top of this blog posting. The diameter of the spiral is 4 feet, and the total height is about 9 feet!

I also made a variation on the Apple Blossom lamp that is described in an earlier blog posting from January. The new version has four lobes, and I called it the Four Leaf Clover. It was displayed at the Living With Crafts exhibition at Sunapee in August and now hangs in my showroom in New London. You can see a photo of that ceiling light sculpture, as well as lots of other lamps, by going to www.woodshades.com/ExamplesLampPictsv3.html

Since the summer, I have been catching up and making as many shades as possible, to be ready for my upcoming November events. First I have the Open Studio Weekend. This is an state-wide event organized by the League of NH Craftsmen, and takes place Veterans Day weekend, November 10-12, 10am - 5pm. In addition to my regular showroom at our house, we will be converting the rest of the downstairs of our home into show space, with every lamp I have on display and lit. It will be an unusual opportunity to see lamps in real home settings. Additionally, I will have my workshop open, and will be having brief demos at 11, 1, and 3 o'clock each day, so you can see me working on lampshades at various stages. Snacks and cider will be offered, and there are other open craft studios in the area so you can make a day-long adventure and see lots of fine crafts and studios. To learn more about the state-wide event, go to www.nhcrafts.org/OpenStudio.htm

Then one week later is the Paradise in Marlborough Craft Show in Massachussets, 45 minutes west of Boston near the intersection of the Mass Pike and I-495. This is a very prestigious event with fine arts and crafts from all around the country. It runs from November 17-19, and you can get more info from www.paradisecityarts.com/

So that is a long blog entry, since I had so much to relate. I didn't even get to non-woodturning things in my life, such as my son's great soccer season as captain and goalkeeper for a terrific high school team. Perhaps another time.... Til then, hope to see you in November or elsewhere, Thanks for your interest, Peter

If You Are a Turner, Read This

2006-03-21T13:55:00.000-05:00

If you are a woodturner, or have an interest in the field, there is an upcoming event that should not be missed: the Fifth New England Woodturning Symposium. The date is May 13, and the location is Derry, NH (just south of Manchester) at Pinkerton Academy. This is an event that I have a very personal involvement in, since I founded this series of Symposia in 1997, and have been the Overall Coordinator each time around.

On the big day, we will be putting on 28 demonstrations covering almost every aspect of turning. The presenter come from as far away as Minnesota, Quebec, and Pennsylvania. There is also a terrific Trade Show, and something called the "Instant Gallery"... every turner who comes to the event is invited to bring one or two items for the Gallery, so it becomes an incredible display of turned objects that inspires and dazzles. I am guessing that there will be over 500 objects in the Instant Gallery this year.

Registration for the event is only $50, and that even includes lunch! But you need to sign up soon. We limit registration to the first 300 who send in their form, and we always sell out. With two months to go, we are just about 2/3 towards being fully subscribed, so clearly time is of the essence. You can find out more info, and download a registration form from this site: www.gnhw.org/turning2006.

There are also several aspects of the event that are open to the public without the need to register. The Trade Show, the Instant Gallery, and four of the demonstrations (particularly oriented towards beginners) will be available to everyone. To gain access to the areas where the other demonstrations occur, you will need a badge.

As an aside, one of the things I am most proud is that the NE Turning Symposia are a huge fundraiser for worthy causes related to woodworking. All of the participants in the event (demonstrators and organizers alike) volunteer their time, the facility at Pinkerton is provide gratis by the school, and the other expenses are very minimal. Over the years, we have generated a profit of about $35,000! One specific project that has benefited from this is the extensive scholarhip and grants program that is offered by the Guild of NH Woodworkers. This program was started with seed money from the Symposium, and one third of our profit still goes to this fund.

The Turning Symposium is the largest woodworking event in New England, and it ONLY HAPPENS ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS! So sign up right away!!!

Another Creative Interest: Video

2006-03-20T11:09:00.000-05:00

I am always busy with my regular wood lampshade business, so it seems a bit odd to me that I felt the need to find another creative outlet. Nevertheless, that is just what I have done.

This past Autumn and Winter, I created artistic and unusual DVD that is a collaboration with my wife (Kathy Lowe), who recently released a new CD "Above Water." The music on this recording represents a sound adventure unlike anything you have every heard before: soothing, mysterious, ethereal, and spiritual. Kathy recorded the main vocal tracks into the side of a million gallon water tank, taking advantage of the incredible natural reverb generated by the airspace in the tank. The songs are elegant in their chant-like simplicity, while layered with nuance and unexpected pleasures that give a depth and haunting beauty that will stick with you forever.

I recorded the video for this on a short section of a brook that is near the water tank where Kathy sang for the CD. Some of the footage was shot during foliage season, the rest while ice was forming on the edges of the brook. Much of what I shot is very closeup scenes, often unrecognizable for what it captures. When I edited the footage into the final movie, I chose to use quite long shots, averaging around 30 seconds. The combination of the subject matter and the the editing, accompanied by Kathy's music, makes for a mulitmedia meditative experience that is beautiful, relaxing and hypnotic. The quality of the production is professional and crisp, and the response from the many people who have seen this this project is uniformly ethusiastic.

If you go to http://www.woodshades.com/AboveWater.html, you can see a short segment of the video, compressed to work as a download. The entire DVD includes 6 of Kathy's new songs and is 28 minutes long. We sell the DVD for $15. The CD is also $15, or you can buy both for $25. Kathy's music can also be heard at CDBaby.com.

I am totally unclear about where this project will lead me. Certainly I have no intention of cutting back on my production of the lampshades. I have a long term interest in video, mainly thru my volunteer activities with the Guild of NH Woodworkers. Thru that organization, I have helped create a huge library of over 100 demonstration videos, and last winter when I was injured, I transfered all those tapes to DVD format. So I have had the equipment and the technical skills, and now I am inspired to uses those to work on creative projects.

There is one strong connection between my lampshades and this new video projecct: they both provide an experience that emphasizes relaxation, calmness, intimacy and an appreciation for the gifts of nature. So in the end, perhaps these two disparate creative endeavors are really just branches of the same tree.

The Apple Blossom Lamp

2006-01-27T19:45:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I have posted to this blog. First I was so busy with fall work.... and more recently I have been quite involved with a complicated commission. That is what I want to talk about today. This new piece is quiet remarkable in several ways. First of all, it started way back last spring, when some clients came by my studio to buy a lamp. While here, they began to discuss a potential new project, and by the time they left, we had some initial drawings. But the concepts involved in this piece as so different from anything I have done before that I aked if they could be patient until business slowed down after Christmas. That was a lot to ask of them, but their patience paid off, I think. The resulting creation need that extra time to develop in my mind.

Here is an attempt to describe the piece verbally, in case the picture in this blog entry is unclear. If you think of my wall sconces, and then assemble five of them together, so that the small ends are all bunched together and the five shades radiate out from a central hub. The whole construction is mounted to a circular disk and that in turn is designed to mount to the ceiling. Each shade holds a 60 watt bulb, giving a total of 300 watts. At the open end of each shade I have installed a semicircular cutout from a shade, so that there is a translucent end cap which is spaced away from the shade so that there is some light spilling out. That in turn creates an interesting pattern of light and shadow on the ceiliing as the light from each shade intersects with it's neighboring shade. The central hub is turned and hollowed out so that there is a place to join all the wires, and that is covered with turned lid, much like one of my lidded bowls.

An amazing coincidence occured with this design. Once I had drawn the initial sketches, my clients pointed out that the piece bore a striking resemblance to an apple blossom, and that they had a very special connection and appreciation for apples. Since my crab apple tree was in flower, I was able to go pick a blossom and see how similar my drawing was to this natural form.

Building this lamp has been a bit of a trial. There were so many aspects to figure out. for example, the geometry of the junction between the narrow end of the shade and the curved side of the turned central hub was something I could only devise by carefully imagining the 3D aspects of the parts and then some trial and error. And the system for mounting all the parts to each other and to the circular plaque was confusing to me until I figured it out. Of course like so many things, now that the piece is done, it all seems obvious. But along the way I had many choices to make.

I am thrilled with the results. In the next week or two, the clients will pick up the piece and once it is installed, I will get a photo of the room with the Apple Blossom filling the space with bright and warm light. There is a good chance that you will get to see some variation on the Apple Blossom at the Sunapee show in August (see my web site for details), since I have submitted this concept for the Living With Crafts exhibition.

Something I Learned

2005-10-24T19:53:00.000-04:00

Sometimes things are so obvious..., after I figure them out! So here is a story about something I learned recently, that gets to the core of what I do and why it interests me.

I have a new product line: wine bottle stoppers. At the upcoming show in Marlborough (November 4-6), they will get their debut. And I am having so much fun making them. I do make other small items such as stamp dispensers, candle lanterns, etc. and I like them very much as objects and designs. But the bottle stoppers are different. I find myself compelled to go to my shop in the evenings or Sundays and making a few. I started to ask myself why these struck such a vibrant chord with me... in some ways the same feeling of joy and creativity that I have when I am making lampshades. Compared to the lampshades, the stoppers are so totally different in scale, function and uniqueness. I had to ask myself why they brought up these feelings for me.

The answer is that in both cases, there are only a few basic design constraints that relate to the functionality, but mostly I start with a chunk of wood and carve away in an instinctive way, sculpting the ultimate shape in an right-brained improvisational state of mind. Very little of the decision making is predetermined or consciously purposeful. I am just seeing and doing. And that is a lot of fun, for me. I have made about 50 bottle stoppers so far, and no two are alike. Sometimes I make one that I like a lot, and the next one might have some related elements or lines -- or it might not!

It is the same with the lampshades. Usually I discover the shape gradually during the hours I spend turning away the extra wood, by "seeing" possible shapes as I go along, or by finding grain patterns and colors that will be best displayed by some particular profile. Rarely (usually when I have a special order to fill), I will have a pre-established idea of what I might make with a particular piece of a log. But if the log "calls out" to me that it wants to be some other shape, then I respond to that urge, and the special order waits until the next log, or the one after that.

I knew already that this sense of discovery was a big part of the allure for me in making lampshades. It never crossed my mind that this joy could come from making other things. So that is the lesson I learned from making the wine bottle stoppers, and maybe it will lead to further new ideas. Who knows?

Sconces and Largest Shades Are Very Popular!

2005-08-31T13:39:00.000-04:00

It has been a while since I last posted, just before the Sunapee show. That was a hugely successful event, despite the oppressive heat. I made lots of great connections with clients new and old. There was particular interest in wall sconces, due in large part to the installation of all the sconces at New London Inn.

And the very largest shades for floor lamps and hanging lamps have been remarkably popular. These are the most expensive shades I sell, sometimes going for as much as $1600 for just the shade. But they are also the most dramatic exhibition of the effect of translucency and wood. The large scale makes a wonderful visual statement and fills a room with a warm glow and romance in a way that is hard to resist.

I pride myself on keeping a very large inventory of lampshades on hand at all times, so that when someone calls or visits my showroom, I am fairly likely to have what they want, ready to go. Right now, this is the first time in many years when I have been completely sold out of one particular category of shades: the largest floor lamp shades. I have some medium-sized floor shades (at a lower price, too), but I am actually sold out right now with the big ones. I have several special orders to fulfill before I can replenish my own inventory. But large shades are almost exclusively the objective of my work schedule these days. Last week and this, I have made the shades that will fill the special orders, and now can begin working on the others.

The creation of all of my shades is a always a physical challenge. I talked about that a few months ago in the aftermath of my knee injury. Thankfully, the knee does not slow me down now, but the overall intensity of the activity really shows up when I make the largest shades, one after the other, no days off. Today I had to take a break from the efforts -- my body is shot, my muscles are kind of humming in some deep and subtle way, and I had trouble just getting out of bed! Tomorrow I will get back to it, today I am catching up on desk work and shipping and that sort of thing.

The good news with these largest shades (18-20" in diameter) is that they are absolutely stunning. They are all coming from two logs that have been hidden in the back of a pile since April. The warm muggy summer has been uncomfortable for us humans, but the logs have benefited by aging beautifully and quickly over the last few months. The grain patterns that were naturally in these logs has been amplified by the effects of the aging. As beaten up as I feel physically, I am even more excited to be bringing these lampshades to life. I feel so fortunate to have this job, and to be capable of accomplishing the tasks. And that my clients relate to my work as strongly as I do.

Getting Ready for the Big Show

2005-07-25T07:53:00.000-04:00

Sunapee is coming. This is my biggest event of the year, 9 days starting August 6, ath the Mount Sunapee Resort in NH. I won't elaborate on the details of the event here, go to www.nhcrafts.org and find out all about it.

But the point is that I am pressing ahead full steam to get ready. Lots of projects that were begun months ago and not quite finished, well, not they are being completed. I will show up at Sunapee with a full complement of lamps and accessories.I got out my Sunapee postcards to my mailing list a week ago. It is hard to believe that I now have over 2500 names on that list. They are all people who have either bought something from me in the past (maybe 80% of the list), or have specifically asked to be put on the list for future reference. Sunapee is the only time I mail to everyone -- when I do other shows during the year, I use a portion of the list related to the general location of that show. If you are reading this and would like to be added to the mailing list, let me know.

And of course, Summer means that there are lots of other things going on. In my last blog, I mentioned that I would be going to the Balsams Hotel, and that was a wonderful experience once again. This was my 11th straight year there, and this time my display area was moved to the main lobby of the hotel. This was a much better space: more visible, better traffic flow, cooler air, and generally more attractive. Business was good at the Balsams, and I got a lot of work done on a set of smaller shades. You just would not believe the spot on the patio where I run my demonstration, there is probably no more beautiful "office" view in the world. I have a view over the incredible gardens, up over Lake Gloriette, and right into Dixville Notch itself.

My relationship with New London Inn has continued to develop (read my first blog to know more about that). The visibility of all my lamps in that location has led to a number of sales, and I feel sure that this will continue over the summer and beyond. If you have the opportunity to eat at the Inn, I recommend it highly -- not only for the lighting, but the meals too are wonderful.

Playing Catch Up

2005-06-27T20:58:00.000-04:00

It has been a while since I posted an entry to this blog. I have been so busy! It took a while for me to get physically up to speed. After the knee surgery, it took a few weeks to even get back on the lathe, and then a month of going at half speed, trying to spread the effort so that I could handle it. Even then I was literally trembling in my muscles at the end of the day.

That was April. By May, I was able to make a shade in pretty much the same amount of time that I could before surgery, but it still was exhausting beyond what I was used to. Finally this month I got over that hump and feel really energized. Looking back on the experience, I guess it is not that surprising that there is a price to be paid for sitting around for three months with no regular exercise. And being 52 years old, I didn't bounce back as quickly as I might have a few years ago. Still it was frustrating.

There was compensation for that frustration: the shades I ahve been making since my surgery have been wonderful, with all sorts of streaks and colors. Even that has had a downside, since the really streaky logs are the result of longer aging, and the older logs sometimes have developed defects that are problematic. In the last three months, I have had 5 or 6 logs that turned out to be unworkable. Usually I dont' find that out until I have several hours of labor invested in the project. Then a soft spot in the wood, or a separation in the grain fibers, makes itself known, and that is the end of it. In all the years I have made shades, this sort of problem has cropped up maybe 2 or 3 times a year. To have 6 in a couple of months is hard to take.

So now I am really geared up to work as much as I possibly can. I have a great selection of shades right now, but relative to where I need to be in June, to be properly prepared for the busy summer and fall, I wish I had a larger inventory. So I am a slave to my lathe these days. A very voluntary slave, since I still and totally love my work. And having had to stay away from woodturning for the winter, I am all the more appreciative for the opportunity and ability to do what I do.

Given how hard I am working right now, I do feel sure that I can catch up and be ready for the upcoming events, and that when you next see my work, you will see what I mean about the beautiful wood I have been working with. The next event for me is a week of demonstrating at the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel, beginning July 11. If you have never been there, it is an amazing place in far far northern New Hampshire. Then comes the big Annual Craft Fair of the League of NH Craftsmen (everyone refers to it as "Sunapee") which begins on August 6 and runs for 9 days. Maybe I will see you there. If I do, please do mention that you have read this blog, I am curious to know if you find it worthwhile.

On a Roll

2005-04-27T17:48:00.000-04:00

AFter that three month layoff (see my earlier posts), it has been a gradual process to get my physical strength back up to par. In the past, I have usually done the really hard work of making a shade in a single long day. For the past few weeks, I have improvised a new system that divides that labor into two days, and for a while, even that level of work left my muscles trembling in the evenings.

But it is getting better and better, and today I did the wild-and-wooly turning all in a single day. And it was a huge shade, starting with a log that started at nearly 200 pounds and ended up at around a pound. I am really beat right now, but it was fun, and exciting to see the shade appear. I plan to go right back at it tomorrow making another big shade.

It is amazing how these things work out. When I was laid up, business was naturally slow during the winter months. Now that I am back in harness, clients seem to be coming here in numbers that are greater than usual. Having had to cancel my only two winter/spring craft exhibtions, I was a bit worried about making ends meet, but it has all worked out just fine. Of course it helps that I keep so far ahead on inventory. But there also seems to be a mysterious balancing act of supply and deman that plays out just outside of my understanding or control. I feel very fortunate today, to be working, to be making these magical lampshades, and to be receiving the attention of my clients. Thanks to all of you who support my fascination with translucent wood.

Ups, Downs, Ups

2005-04-05T15:10:00.000-04:00

Since my last post, I had a minor setback with a week of mild flu. For a couple of days, I thought it was soreness brought on by the turning, and perhaps that contributed. Anyway, now that has passed and today I completed a large shade for a floor base. That is exciting, surely a function of both the drama of a larger shade as well as the somewhat macho pleasure of accomplishment. Large shades are more demanding physcially, and technically they are more finicky. The size adds to the flexibility of the wood, and taming that is a challenge.

On another front, I am psyched up about a new commission in collaboration with blacksmith David Little (Meredith, NH). Last summer we made a chandelier for the Living With Crafts exhibition, and it won an nice award. Now we have a new project to make for a wonderful long-time client for both of us. This will include a two-shade chandelier and a single pendant lamp, each with David's "grapevine motif" iron work and my smaller shades.

All of that means that things are back in order in my work life, and that is important to me. As you have heard me say elsewhere, making lampshades is much more than a business for me, it is very much a part of how I identify myself, and I love the whole thing. As I gradually get into better shape, I will be able to spend more hours each week making shaving fly. But today was an important milestone, being able to make a really large shade. More to come.

Relief!

2005-03-25T21:26:00.000-05:00

Wow..... finally, after three months, I got back on the lathe today. This has been such a challenge to be patient and wait for my recovery from the knee injury. And I am stunned by how out-of-shape I have gotten. Of course, in retrospect it does make perfect sense, since I have basically just been sitting around. Even as my knee is ready to go, the rest of my body rebels agains the physical stresses of making a shade. This evening I feel a bit like a rag doll.

So at least I am doing it. For the first two or three weeks, I will focus on smaller shades and pace myself. I can't tell you all how much this means to me. I am well aware that some day I will have to give up making shades as my body just will not hack it. But that time is hopefully far in the future.

An Unfortunate Injury

2005-03-16T13:43:00.000-05:00

It has always worried me that my work, making lampshades, is so physically intensive. Truly it is also one of the things that I love about my work, being so directly connected to the material, dealing with the combination of brute force and delicate finess. But I am 52 years old, and at some point, the demands on my body will be more than I can handle. Hopefully that issue will not catch up with me for many years... but I think about it a lot.

This winter, I had the opportunity to experience my physical limitations. I injured my knee on January 2nd -- it happened playing indoor soccer. I have played for years without any trouble, but in a League designated as "recreational, low impact." Mostly people between 30 and 60 years old, plus a few of our teenage children. There is a culture there that makes it very unlikely that anyone would get hurt. But on the January 2, my son's team, which I coach, didn't have an opponent, so we invited parents to play in a scrimmage with the kids. And, being the coach, I probably was trying too hard to keep up and show off my remaining skills. So I hyperextended my right knee. Instantly I knew I had a significant problem.

Then next day I saw my doctor, and it appeared to be a stretched ligament. But over the weeks, as the ligament healed, I had some lingering pain that kept me from doing anything but light work in my shop. Finally an MRI revealed that I had damage to my meniscus (the cartilage that lays between the upper and lower leg bones). I had arthoscopic surgery on March 7, and the damage was even worse than was originally thought. As I write this, 9 days later, the recovery is well under way, already less pain than I had before surgery.

It seems likely that in a couple of weeks, I will be back on the lathe making shades. I can't tell you how much I have missed it. This is not only a business for me -- it is a love affair with the wood, the process, and the dramatic final product. It has been a struggle to not let minor depression get the best of me. And to find projects to do (such as catch up on cleaning up the mounds of paperwork in my office!). But now that I have turned the corner and am close to full recovery, I am practically giddy.

From a business point of view, this has not had that much impact. I always keep a huge inventory of shades on hand, so that when a cliient asks for something, there is a relatively good chance I will have it on hand. It takes the pressure out of the day-to-day aspects of my business when I am way ahead. So even as I have been unable to make new shades, I have been selling on a regular basis. This metaphor just popped in to my head: the bear, whose instinct is to think ahead and eat and eat and eat, more than is need for the next 24 hours. Then when the Winter comes, the bear can enter hibernation and still survive quite well, living off the stored energy. In the Spring, the bear awakes, and gets right back to eating eating eating.

Winter is ending, I am ready to eat sawdust and put on new inventory! Can't wait.

Sconces galore at New London Inn

2005-03-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

The past fall, the New London Inn was purchased by the dynamic husband and wife team of Bridget LeRoy and Eric Johnson. Over the past few years, the Inn has fallen into a state of minor neglect. Since it is a beautiful and imposing building right in the middle of Main Street, it needed the energy and creativity that the new owners have brought.

One of the first decisions that Bridget and Eric made was that the dining room should be lit almost entirely with my wood lampshades. After 6 weeks of major renovations to the restuarant, it was reopened on Valentines Day with 17 wall sconces and two table lamps. Business has been very brisk at the Inn since the launch, and my shades have gotten a lot of attention. The sconces provide plenty of light to read and eat by, while simultaneously enveloping the whole room with a romantic and relaxing glow that makes a perfect match for the elegant dining experience. Incidentallly, the menu is really wonderful and affordable, so if you get the chance, come visit the Inn for a walk-thru, a meal, or an overnight. The web site is www.newlondoninn.us

From my point of view, this whole project has been very exciting. Working with Bridget and Eric has been fun. They are overflowing with energy and creativity and a boundless sense of humor. And the size of this installation is the largest I have been involved with. Being right here in my home town, it has attracted a lot of attention. It is amazing how the reputation I have achieved for my work has reached all over the world, and how many of my neighbors had no idea what I was doing. The display of my lamps in the restaurant has already led to some referals, and in the long run, I expect that the Inn will represent a significant aspect to how people get to know about me.