Wendell Berry on Affection

Photo Guy Mendes

Wendell Berry, the poet, essayist, farmer, novelist and conservationist was recently awarded the prestigious honor of delivering the 41st Jefferson lecture in the Humanities, titled "It All Turns on Affection"- sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Berry provides a beautifully expressed voice for the ideas that so many more young people are beginning to turn to in terms of what we need heading into the future. Put simply, we need AFFECTION- not just for each other but for "the possibility of a neighborly, kind and conserving economy". Sounds like hippy stuff?? Berry will undoubtedly convince you of the fundamental necessity behind this idea. I'm sure of it.  

Read the transcript HERE

Watch the video HERE  [skip to 11min to skip the intro]


Thanks again to Greenhorns! 

College of the Redwoods Fine Furniture Open House & Spring Show

 

OPEN HOUSE 

Thursday, May 3, 5–7 p.m.

An exhibit of student accomplishments
in their natal environment.
440 Alger Street, Fort Bragg

SPRING EXHIBITION

May 5-31

Reception May 12, 5-8pm

Highlight Gallery, Mendocino CA

 

Starting to look like a chair

Just a bit over a week left to complete the chair. Looks like someone just needs her arms shaped... oh and maybe the seat part too, which will be hand woven by Darrick in Danish cord.

Meet Eric

Artist Feature coming up with the artist/maker Eric Trine. I would describe Eric as a maker of things for the home, but that sounds rather limiting. He's an artist really. Currently he is acquiring an MFA in Applied Craft and Design at the joint program offered by the Pacific Northwest College of Art and Oregon College of Art & Craft  in Portland [both of us very envious!]. Him and his wife Heather are two lovely humans.

For now check out what Eric has been making HERE.

Recent Print Finds

 This isn't me being well-read. This is me with a collecting problem. Old print offers some of the best visual inspiration and SOMETHING to pull my swollen eyeballs away from a computer screen for a moment.

I actually AM reading this.

We touch things to assure ourselves of reality. We touch the objects of our love. We touch the things we form. Our tactile experiences are elemental. If we reduce their range, as we do when we reduce the necessity to form things ourselves, we grow lopsided. 

Anni Albers on Tactile Sensibility, On Weaving

Drawing 4.14.12

Balding. Ink on Paper. 22"x30". Lana Fee Rasmussen.

Shop Party at Ejler Hjorth Westh's place

 This past weekend, Ejler [Dane, instructor, furniture maker, boat builder, fisherman] invited everyone over to his home/shop for a nice Saturday evening. Him and his wife Karen live in the very beautiful Elk, CA.

Ejler. The man himself, a bit younger.

Darrick guessed that this is a running list of all the names Ejler's been called.

A big Dane enjoying the great American jello shot. 

 Ejler teaches a wooden boat building class every summer, but here sits his personal lady, operated by man power only.

Darrick and I both triumphed this evening. I was a runner up for the skull identification challenge earning me the generous Skulls Unlimited International Catalog. D snagged the clearly haunted voodoo elephant statue for the shooting contest. Way to go? My only regret is that we didn't stay the night and engage in something I heard involving shot guns the following day. Next year.

Year 2 at College of the Redwoods!

 DARRICK'S FACE BEFORE he found out he was accepted to the competitive second year of study at the College of the Redwoods Fine Furniture Woodworking program. 

DARRICK'S FACE AFTER! Bravo! We cut his hair last night too as you can see in this photo-realistic noseless and earless sketch, making his beard a bit more prominent.

Food Foward TV Series on PBS

PBS is rolling out the new Food Forward TV series documenting food warriors and the change they are invoking in the quality and integrity of our food. Each episode highlights various efforts and the people behind them, such as- lunch ladies, grass-fed farmers, urban agriculturalists and surfer/fisherman. There are about a million food docs these days, but come on... it's PBS.

Check your PBS for listings. 

Thank you to the Greenhorn's blog the irresistible fleet of bicycles for passing this along!

Spring

out front

Hail storm a couple days ago.

Beach days.

Those Swedish legs have been in the dark for a while.

Big River Headlands

Touring the shop

Adam

Andy

Anton

Dan

Bryce

John

Darrick's last glue up.

And of course the infamous mock-up sacrifice.