The past few months, I've begun to take an interest in something I never expected...my dad's wood shop. I got this wild hair of an idea that I wanted to learn how he takes old, beat up pieces of wood and crafts them into art.
It's been challenging, because he's a purist. And the last time I had a piece of wood in my hands, I turned it into this:
My dad isn't a fan of painted wood. I never really got it before. I mean, this is probably my favorite piece of artwork I've ever made. And it's on a wood slab.
But then, I started spending more time with him, watching the way the machines work and learning about the grain of the wood. I now have a better appreciation for the fact that every kind of wood is different.
For instance, this is a hand-crafted cutting board my dad made out of a variety of exotic woods. Each one looks completely unique and beautiful in its own right...even I wouldn't dream of slopping paint on these.
The way he turns wood into art astounds and inspires me. And he says he's not creative. I love the whole idea of taking a splintery piece of a tree in the back yard and turning in to something you want to put on display.
It amazes me that he dreams these things up in his head... and there's a part of me that wants to learn how to do it for myself.
For now, I'll enjoy the fruit of his labors...and while we work on a few projects, I'll soak it all up and try to learn as much as I can.
I'm constantly inspired by the idea that there is art everywhere...and each of us has it inside of us, expressing it in our own unique ways.
We've been trying to talk my dad into selling some of these pieces, but he already owns one business, I don't know that he wants another. Still, I think there's a market for beautiful, handcrafted pieces in everyone's home.
I'm kind of ashamed I didn't see it sooner, that I didn't have the instant ability to celebrate the beauty of the natural elements, in each form... and while I don't intend to stop painting wood any time soon, I think maybe I'll pause and make sure I'm doing it a service before I do.
In the meantime, wish me luck with the planer, the sander and the router...I'm determined to learn my way around that wood shop.
