Artist Statement
The story of my work has a traceable origin, from the growth of the tree to maker to owner’s hands. A system of working and gathering material informs the designs. While immersed in a more deliberate process of material reduction, I find joy is revealed, justifying the use of intimate hand tools. Function and agency inform the design of my work. Building and using hand tools, on architectural to human scale, has allowed me to create with an emphasis on my body powered tools.
Green woodworking uses wood without altering the natural composition and texture of the material. Compared to kiln dried lumber, green wood moves and fluctuates as it dries. I find its materiality engaging to use, the latent animacy held in wet grain slowly playing out. I have made objects from trees I have helped drag out of the woods and logs from a tree accused of leaning too close to a city bank. Building objects out of such wood allows the piece to grow in richness through their use and lineage. The object’s story moves beyond a single point of conception.
Reinvestment in traditional techniques, from Windsor chair making to hand tools use, often evoke nostalgia. I believe these techniques can be revolutionized in form and intention. Inspired by joints and forms of connection, in tandem with ease of material manipulation, there is an opportunity to share the craft. The work is considered through its full cycle of use. Its beauty and curiosity are communicated by the process of fruition. My intention is to re-contextualize hand craft. I aim to validate its existence in a technologically advanced world.