Starting.

Beginnings fascinate me. How it started. How you started. Your progress. Your evolution... Yes yours. Doesn't matter if you are a woodworker, artist, musician, banker, teacher. I am interested. Its interesting. Post it in the comments if you feel like it. That being said, my story isn't that interesting.

I am largely self taught (fairly evident if you have read any other posts or seen any pictures on this blog.) And... I learn everyday in the shop... mainly from my mistakes. I have been building what some might call furniture for nearly 10 years now with stints as a bicycle shop owner, student, and a historic preservation carpenter along the way. I still have the first piece I built tucked away in the attic. My wife won't let me throw it away. If I ever get brave/drunk enough... I may post it one day. Its pretty bad. I'll say this... lots of screws, lots of wood filler, and lots of little pastel ceramic tiles.

But...

No matter how ugly that block of wood is,,,, it got me started... well... it was my start.

What got me started was a combination of childhood/ job/ a table. Spending most of my childhood in the woods building things, growing up with uncles that built everything.... everything. Then I started work at SECCA, the contemporary art gallery here in W-S. It was soooooo badass. Such a great place. It was family. And they had a woodshop... But that wasn't all. Much of the furniture was made by artist, craftsman Bob Kopf, the Director Vicki Kopf's (VK) husband. My table included. It was walnut. It got me thinking. I began to build things in the shop. I began to read. Then I asked VK if I could get Bob's advice. He was the first to tell me where to buy lumber, what I needed to start, how to glue to boards together.

Now full circle. Ten years later. Last Saturday VK and Bob were having people up to their place to tour Bob's shop. I was flattered that they remembered me. It was a half hour trip in the cold rain, but Milo and I made it. The shop was everything you want it to be. Down a dirt road in the country, nestled in a sort of artists' community with potters and such surrounding, warm wood stove, essential machinery, stacks and stacks beautifully restored planes and hand tools, simplicity at the finest level. Bob was nice enough to spend time answering all my questions, showing me some of his methods, and occupying Milo with a wooden train set. I was amazed by the hand tools. The volume and their condition. Lots of vintage Bedrock tuned perfectly. You feel humbled talking to someone who is a master at what he does. I left feeling like I had a very long way to go. But I was excited about it and more ready to get rocking. Thanks to Bob and VK again.

OK. Hope everyone who reads this is doing well and taking care and having a nice holiday.