Moving here from Washington D.C. was no easy task. Although this is a great little city, but it is just that a little city. But that is what I like the best about it. We don't have a car, but the town is so small we can walk every where. We live right in the middle of town. And there is no traffic to contend with or even see. I love that.
The school is great. The head instructor is Neil Erasmus. You can see some of his work at www.erasmusdesigns.com , he is a great designer maker/ pretty good teacher. Having only had some minor experience in furniture making before coming here, I think my skills have improved 100 fold.
The first thing that I made was a Document/jewelry Box. The box was made out of Jarrah with a musk Veneer that was bookmatched on the top with a small black inlay around the Musk. The box was put together with handcut miter dovetails. Those are regular dovetail, but with a miter or 45 degree joint in the top and bottom. The inside there is a tray and they are both lined with leather.
The next thing that I did was a mirror. We were told that were to design this ourselves, and that it could not be just a regular frame with a mirror in it. So my design was a mirror that suspended inbetween two outer frames, that hung off the wall at an angle. The mirror is called "Shaka" which in Hawaiian means "Hang Loose" Which is exactly what the mirror does. This piece was made from myrtle with Jarrah inlays. Everything about this mirror screams mirror, the two outer frames were cut from the same piece, so that they are mirror images of each other, as with the inlay they mirror each other also.
Next I built a dining chair. Even though this was not my design, I love this chair. I've always wanted to build a chair. But I was always afraid. Mostly because of the math involved. But it was a great learning experience. The chair is made from Tasmanian Blackwood.
We have some really interesting things coming up here in the near future. I will keep you all posted.
