Final Days

 Just a few things left to do. Fit the drawer and cut out the pull. There really are only a handful of students who will be able to finish by the official end of the semester, this Saturday. The winter show does not open till late Jan/early Feb (which EVERYONE should travel to Fort Bragg for- more about the show later), so the deadline is easily spread out till the show. The second year students in particular use the time, as their projects are quite a bit more involved- complex chairs and cabinets. We leave town on Friday, so with 2 full days left Darrick should have no problem wrapping things up.

 Subtle but greatly important shaping of the upper and lower lips of the frame.

Dovetails prepared for the drawer.

Work

 Anton, the Swede. Adored by all. Is it the blonde eyebrows and the accent? The motorcycle he purchased here which came with a leather jacket? His American thrift store garb? He knows he has a moto-photo shoot coming. We just haven't set aside the proper time.

 Sam, Darrick's bench mate presenting his cabinet. A fine looking Krenovian effort. Each student has to bring in food for the class when they present. Sam went with some sturdy bread and butter. Anton presented with his recipe for Jensen's Temptation, potatoes au gratin with sardines basically (that Swede....)

 

 An older photo of the class inspecting an original James Krenov cabinet, the founder of the school. Nice Legs eh David?

Like butter.

Mushroom Forage

 A group of us hit the forest last Sunday with a book, baskets and not enough snacks. This area is notorious for outrageous mushroom hunting. Many locals keep their honey holes to themselves, but us amateurs actually had a bit of luck.

 White coral.

 The loot. Pig's ears, coral and one sad chanterelle.

We frolicked for hours back there, then silently huffed back to the car just barely before dark saying over and over "wow I didn't realize we parked this far". Amazing day.

Ann Hedges at Lost Coast Culture Machine

 I stopped by LCCM this past Friday for an opening by the artist Ann S. Hedges, a local. Most of the materials used are all found pieces from the area which she elegantly formed into her sculpture. In walking this coast, there certainly is quite a bit to inspire. There is almost a prehistoric feeling to all of it. Having grown up in Southern CA, I initially noticed the stark differences in kelp here. Bull kelp is much more robust and intimidating. The driftwood is also like nothing I have seen before. Hedges' arrangements were not too kitschy which is hard to do with coastal material.

Recent Farm Perks

 Meet my dear friend Red, the adolescent red Border Collie at Noyo Hill Farm. We can't have dogs at our place so we live vicariously through any and all dog owners these days. The little guy is very precious and his hair is still thickening up. Smart guy too. John has been preparing him with the sheep but he is an absolute natural.

My apologies to anyone vegetarian or squeamish, but I participated in a full day chicken slaughter a few weeks ago and finally had the chance to roast one of the chickens at home.  I definitely care about learning the ways in which we acquire all of our food, but especially animals. I wussied out of the lamb slaughter this past weekend but I would like to play a role in the dressing of all the meat I adore to eat. I'm not quite there yet. The roasted chicken was delicious though and this morning I just finished my first batch of homemade broth from the carcass.

David Alan Collection

 We have family in Del Mar, San Diego and whenever we pass through we stop at David Alan on Cedros Ave. The place is tri-level packed with a collection of furnishings and decorative objects imported from East Asia, namely Bali, Thailand and Japan. It's fun to just walk through, especially now with a more probing craftsman's eye. The chairs pictured here are George Nakashima remakes, made in Bali. The joinery is quite crude but Mr. Alan is certainly laughing all the way down to the bank with these classic designs marked at a healthy wage. 

 Stacks of these Nakashima chairs are all over the basement. Laura Mays, the woodworking program's new director told Darrick that she thought no one would be able to get away with producing remakes like this in America, but since they are being made in Bali...

 There is a nice collection of old boat wood from Indonesia as well, such as the drawers here.

 This Japanese Art Deco piece above is nice as well. A specialty of David Alan is the sale of flat wood slabs- incredibly thick beautiful slabs of teak and what not. 

People Making Things

A guy we keep running into, Jon, has been taking these photographs which he prints on wood. He is from France, lives in Long Beach and finds countless curiosities in and around Southern CA. I can relate to the ways in which photography forces one to engage in new surroundings, but the way he has digitally manipulated and printed these makes them feel almost like paintings to me- even colorized images. He makes his living doing other enviable tasks like making music, but what a nice side project. Take a look at the full catalog with MUCH better images at Reverse Photography    

People Making Things

 We stopped in Fairfax CA and stayed with our friend Trina for the night. For breakfast on our way out of town, we tried the Hummingbird- a very charming New Orleans style diner. After we ordered our eggs from the woman who used an authentic "Ma'am" and "Y'all", we soon realized there were some excellent photos on the walls. This woman, the owner and New Orleans native Michelle L. Elmore, is also the artist. A great experience. 

The 'grill' photos were all named after numbered Wards in NOLA. With photos like this, I enjoy thinking about the process in approaching people for these shots.

Family Making Things

 Nancy, Darrick's mama, has been constructing all kinds of vertical gardens from her succulent clippings. Her and I both gave her backyard a big creative plant boost in designing for our wedding, but she has taken on her own niche with flea market finds. SO far, this one is my favorite, made with a retro range. 

From a cherished family member's frame.

She calls this 'the womb', meaning her boxes of starts where she can then later transplant from.

 Out of her garage/barn in Laguna Beach CA, my Aunt Kathleen has started a jewelry business made from foraged pieces of sea glass. Her partner had all the finished pieces unfortunately. Many many people wrap sea glass in wire, which turns me off completely (overly crafted and kitsch-ified), but Kathleen makes very simple, elegant pieces. It's just a side business but she has a great time with it and certainly knows her glass.  

Her box of 'special pieces'. I asked her if she considered putting them online. She laughed. HI-FIVE family.

Innaway on the same coast

We traveled South for the holiday this past week, where we were able to celebrate Innaway in the same room again (except Gabe Palmer unfortunately). A couple marriages and kids later, they are still extremely enthusiastic to never stop making tunes together. Cheers to that!

INNAWAY

INNAWAY music, Darrick's other creative endeavor. Our dear friend Reid was just staying with us, also a bandmate, and the two of them were commiserating how playing music with anyone else never quite feels the same. There is a new album which took painfully long to finish because of reasons out of the band's hands. Nevertheless, the album was mixed by John McEntire from Tortoise and the logo designed by me, Lana. Everyone is back on the West coast now, so there will inevitably be more live action. 

Project I

 Behold the back panel of the cabinet. Beautiful.

Ah the dovetails, all by hand. Each corner of the cabinet has these exact seven dovetails, an ambitious feat indeed- especially for the first project. DT's are one of the distinct 'the proof is in the pudding' moments for a skilled craftsman. See Prepping for Project.