Okay, well an article on a guy called Daniel Brush caught my eye the other week. Something of a renaissance man, all self-taught, but in assorted materials other than wood. If you don't count his glorious studio floor, which he apparently sweeps every morning. It wasn't actually the NY Times that I was reading, but their article will do just as well. What takes the eye of the fully diagnosed tool junkie whilst gazing at the slideshow? Well naturally it's those chests and cabinets of tools. Another view in this article too.
My first thought was Holtzapffel for the open cabinet of tools, but I'm sure there must be US makers who are more likely candidates. And the plane in the foreground is intriguing; the thought of wood dust and all those intricately geared lathes makes me blench slightly, but then I wondered if they made planes for trimming lead type in wood as well as metal and I went off on a speculative ramble. Feel free to indulge likewise.
Anyway, interesting chap. I'm sure the photographs don't even begin to do justice to his craftsmanship - but somehow I don't think I'll be popping over to New York to visit the exhibition. Heigh ho.
His viewpoint on what he builds and who he builds it for reminds me of James Krenov. “I still like the idea of a warm hand to warm hand,” he said of selling a piece. “Somebody sees, somebody asks questions, and maybe they agree to take care of a piece — it’s a very romantic approach.” I have hard-cover editions of all of Krenov's books and I've read and re-read each many times. I also suspect Krenov may have been a bit easier to converse with than Mr. Brush.
ReplyDeleteRon Kellison
Ottawa, Canada