Howzit Div,

Waar is jy? I haven't seen any activity from you on your site or on lumberjocks. Hope you are keeping well?

Regards

Stephen

My shop has been abandoned these last few months, actually since November to be exact. It seems to be more of a storage facility and dust collection area.
I can’t find things. All my tools and things are in their places as they should be. Then there are things that have no place except on the bench or shelf. But they are things that are always close at hand and necessary.
Orientation to these unfamiliar surroundings are desperately needed. Time to do a spring clean. Winter is still here so it will be a short while yet for me to enter the “unknown”
The worst thing of all is that half of my daily tools are across town, and needed there. So when I do get the chance of cleaning and tiding up, I’ll still be in an unfamiliar place.
Ever had this dilemma ?

I just read this article by Jo-marie Rabe and wanted to share it. I think it is flippin' amazing. Well said!!:

Is it art or craft? by Jo-Marie Rabe

A friend who is a well-known writer of cookbooks always says that a good recipe is a good recipe. It does not change much over time. The only thing that does change is how the outcome is presented (or how the food is styled, as she would put it). As I was researching this story, I kept realizing how universal this truth is.
In April, the annual SOFA (Sculpture Objects and Functional Art) exhibition took place in New York. Mark Lyman created this forum about 15 years ago, when he realized that “artists who were creating modern works based in traditional media and forms” had nowhere to exhibit their work. It sounds very smart: “artists who create modern works based in traditional media and forms”. From the images I saw on the SOFA website (www.sofaexpo.com), I surmised the marketing team might mean “unique and beautifully crafted handmade objects made to the highest standards using the latest technology”. I guess that sounds a bit too “crafty”; people might be willing to pay more for something that is defined as “art that draws its reference from function or craft but transcends it to a place of beauty or intellect”. But is it art?
Man has been making objects for millions of years – it is one of our primary impulses. And whether these objects are ancient and rudimentary or brand new and cutting edge, they are always imbued with a function. And in most cases, the object has a certain aesthetic value, something that makes it pleasing to look at and lovely to touch. Sometimes the function is the aesthetic, in which case we call it art. Man, after all, is an aesthetic animal. For millennia, this aesthetic characteristic was the result of the process of production: the handyman or artisan created or added the beauty while he or she was making the object. With the advent of the industrial age, the direct and incremental control the maker exuded over the object came to an abrupt end.
Industrial production demands a single model that forms the matrix of all successive production of that same model. Sound Greek? It simply means that in the case of the mass-produced object, a single prototype is designed, developed, approved and then copied ... and copied ... and copied. Any aesthetic consideration happens long before the item is made. Once a form or pattern is set, it is set; there can be no changes, no last-minute alterations, no spontaneous adaptations. To accommodate even the slightest change, a new model has to be designed. As Marshall McLuhan so aptly stated some decades ago: “The natural effect of any new technology is to create a new environment for itself.” So we created a new world where objects that were functional, cheap and beautiful were available to us all the time. In this new environment there was no longer room for the master
craftsman who spent 60 hours making a single chair by hand. He was replaced by the imaginative draftsman who could design 60 chairs in one hour. So we found ourselves a new ruler: the industrial designer. Industry stars such as Philippe Starck are admired and copied by millions and millions of people. Books are written about their work, movies are made about their lives, and yet they probably never touch a tool other than a pencil or a computer in their entire lives. That is not what they do.
One of my most prized possessions is a book called The Man-made Object. In a series of essays, it explores “the man-made object as an important environmental factor in the shaping of our 20th-century mores, feelings and values”. From it I quote: “The production in series of examples all identical is something very particular to our epoch, and something practically unknown in all previous epochs. Today the handicrafts are destined to become more than anything
else a subsidiary of the pure arts and to assume those characteristics of preciosity of material and self-sufficiency of form which distinguish painting and sculpture.”
As far as ideas go, this one is interesting but not really that avant-garde or particularly insightful. Or is it? It is if you consider that the extract comes from a book published in the 1960s. The rather chilling accuracy of the prediction aside, what was essayist Gillo Dorfles really saying? He said that the master craftsman will survive, but that he will re-invent himself. The industrial revolution did not render him obsolete; it just sent him underground for a little while.
As the saying goes: you can’t keep a good man down, so the master craftsman is back – he has resurfaced. And now he is called an artist and he presents his work in art galleries – exactly the way Dorfles predicted 50 years ago. Nothing new in the recipe, just in how the product is presented. And the world is ready. For the first time in decades, there is a hunger for “handmade”. Teenage boys
want hand-knitted beanies (and no, you can’t fool them: they can spot a Chinese imitation a mile away).
It seems that we are tired of the bland perfection promised by the machine. We want it handmade and one-off. We want to feel the process of creativity – the margin of chance that a handmade object carries like an invisible aura. All of this seems to be informed by two basic instincts: man’s need to create and his need to again see man in the created object. And the artists/craftsmen are hard at work – that you can see from the number of exhibitors at the SOFA fair in New York and at the recent Design Indaba (www.designindaba.com) in Cape Town. There is a plethora of fantastic contemporary talent. This is not just an international trend.
But a word of warning: even though these pieces of furniture and decorative objects are pure and astonishing beautiful, they can sometimes be a bit pricey. At the top end of the international spectrum, they often come with a POA label, which means that if you have to ask the price, you probably cannot afford the item. Considering the enormous amount of energy, time and money that goes into producing these masterpieces, a hefty price tag is completely warranted. And
that’s probably why the “art” tag has become a necessity. People really are willing to pay more for art.
But is it art? Granted, some of the objects are extremely artistic and
experimental, but, as a furniture historian, I can assure you that every
generation of creators, whether they were furniture makers,ceramicists, jewelers or silversmiths, were in their own time “creating modern works based in traditional media and forms”.
So how does one distinguish between the work of the artist and that of the craftsman? More to the point, is it even necessary to try to distinguish? Post-modernists would say no. Their notion of blurred boundaries represents to them an act of liberation, and their view is still the flavour of the month. At the other end (the very out-of-fashion end) of the intellectual scale: to someone who is passionate about the glory of art, the genius of design and the attainment of the master craftsman, these blurred lines smack of disrespect, arrogance and a slight pathology.
Art is about the aesthetic. Every other object concerns itself with function. Art is fantastic, but so is a magnificently crafted piece of furniture (for instance). I, for one, would rather sit on a chair than on a sculptural object and eat off a table than off a piece of functional art.
I wonder what the brilliant Korean Bae Sehwa(www.sehwabae.com/1.html) makes of all this. He is more than anything else interested in the craft of his art, not the idea or the concept of it. Like the artisans of old, he is preoccupied by the processes of production itself. The new masters are still working in the tradition of the old masters; they adhere to the same principles; they are inspired by the same excellence and yet make use of the latest technologies. Everything changes and nothing changes.

The master craftsman is dead; long live the master craftsman (even if sometimes he calls himself an artist now).

Jo-Marie Rabe is a cultural historian, and she co-owns Piér Rabe Antiques in
Stellenbosch.

This article was first published in the 2nd quarter 2011 edition of Personal Finance magazine.

It looks like activity is picking up here on TALKING SAWDUST. It makes me real happy! The following members have joined recently:

cindyroos
ghalied
Charles Thomas
cheroot
woodworm

WELCOME GUYS! (I think cindyroos is a female member, then I can say GUYS and GIRLS! That sounds even better!) I look forward to some blogs and comments from all of you and I hope the site will be of value now and in the future.

Please feel free to make suggestions about improving TALKING SAWDUST. The site is still in its infancy and we will structure lay outs and add features as we go along. Your input will be greatly appreciated.

Remember, TALKING SAWDUST is for all of us! An online woodworking website specifically for South African woodworkers.

Let’s share knowledge!

Fascinating all these blogs and posts. Keeps me doing funny things in the workshop.
Div - as I peruse over all these wonderful blogs, I have noticed that various people talk about posting photo's of their work - even you talking about posting a photo or two....
But I don't see them....Any place that they might be hiding?
Now don't ask me to be specific. Too much read and 'old timers playing a part here too. But I do recall one where you saying that you will post photo's of the beams that you were lifting. And other people telling about their builds with photo's.
Am I just going kookoo or what? Just inquisitive boet.

1790L x 400W x 360H

Banksia and Salmon Gum

Another piece currently on display at the “Out of the wood” exhibition. Since natural organic lines are always popular, I had to do something in that line…. Besides, everybody loves those butterfly keys! This coffee table was inspired by the work of the Japanese American woodworker, George Nakashima, specifically his well known Minguren table. No better way to show off the natural beauty of the wood! The timber I used is known as Banksia (Banksia marginata) which is indigenous to Australia where it is apparently quite rare. I was fortunate indeed to obtain just a few boards from an Australian friend who immigrated to SA. He had some dying Banksia trees on his property which he felled, milled and brought with him. It is very likely that this is the only example of the timber in my country (apart from the bookcase I made for the Australian in exchange for the timber!) The keys are Salmon Gum, also indigenous to Australia, also from my friend.

As always, comments, critique and suggestions are welcome.

PS. I am very happy to say that the response to the furniture component of this exhibition has been so good that the gallery decided to extend the exhibition by another month. Furthermore, they have decided to make it an annual event! Myself and the 4 other furniture makers/designers are very excited about this!!

Some of you might very well know what a red sticker on the price card means. I’m talking about the price card of pieces at an art exhibition….Well, I have some news to share…

On Sunday 3 April, the “Out of the wood” Exhibition opened at Strydom Gallery in George, a smallish city/large town here in the Southern Cape, South Africa. Apart from sculpture, wood turning and paintings, a total of 5 furniture makers, including myself, have works on display.

With the exhibition opening at 11h00 on a Sunday morning in what is a rather conservative town (I mean, everything is totally shut on a Sunday), I was pleasantly surprised by the large attendance. The place was pretty packed. Even the press was represented and it looks like my mug shot will be appearing in print soon (only local weekly papers though)!

My aim with the work I entered was to break away a little from the conventional and the fashionable. Art furniture as a genre is hardly known in South Africa. I attempted to focus on creativity and design, to explore the sculptural possibilities of furniture, to minimize time consuming (and price escalating!) traditional joinery without sacrificing quality and craftsmanship. As such, my work is “out of the box” in comparison to other entries, not necessarily fashionable or in vogue as presented by interior design and décor magazines. I really wondered how my work would be received by the viewing (and hopefully buying!) public. I was pleasantly surprised! I received numerous compliments and was constantly approached by people who wanted to talk about the work!

The best news? I got 2 red stickers!!! The first for one of my more expensive works, a hall table/occasional writing desk, the second for a small sculpture of a bird. Heeha!!
On the furniture side, a total of 7 stickers went up within an hour. Four, out of the five woodworkers sold at the opening which only lasted around 2 hours. I’m so happy for all of us! These guys are all good mates of me and they certainly deserve it.

More good news is that our exhibition is running concurrently with a major national arts festival which started yesterday in a nearby town, Oudtshoorn. Serious art buyers always make a point of visiting other galleries in the area. This means we will be getting plenty good feet in the coming week. We also have Easter weekend coming up – lots of rich holiday makers visiting from the interior!

In the words of my soul brother, many many thanks to my Angel!
Also to the Wood Spirits, my family and my friends.

About a year ago Nic first saw my Trapezoid table at a gallery in Cape Town which is 400km from where I live. Yes, I market far and wide! He was on vacation from the UK and wanted to buy the table but shipping costs was about the same as the cost of the table! The gallery was kind enough to give him my contact details and we explored the idea of a knockdown or flat pack version in an attempt to reduce the airfreight charges. Still way too expensive and the idea were shelved.

Maybe 2 months ago the client contacted me again. Friends of his were getting ready to move back to the UK from South Africa and they had space for the table. Could I please make one for him? I was amazed that he still had the table in his mind nearly a year later!

The original Trapezoid table had since been sold but I promised to make another. In order to reduce the volume we revived the flat pack idea and I built a knockdown version. The timber I used was a very light African mahogany with Purple Heart inlays.

Tomorrow I drive down to Mosselbay, the nearest town, to deliver the table to the couriers. They will take it through to Cape Town, where it will be loaded on a plane to Heathrow in the UK, from where it will travel to the client’s house. Then it is up to him to assemble the puzzle! (I did provide some written instructions, just look in the drawer.)

1. Knocked down, ready for packaging.

2. The assembled table.

3. The original Trapeziod table.

4. Details.

I am quite thrilled. This is the first furniture piece that I send out the country! Thanks for the order, Nic! As always, comments and critique are welcome. This journey is a wonderful never ending learning experience!