Along with weavers, ceramicists and jewelers, workers in wood are the redheaded step-children of art. Why? From the earliest days of mankind, wood workers have been an essential part of the survival of the race. They made the tools, the homes, the forts, the weapons, the stuff of daily life and what thanks have they gotten, a turned up nose by those who practice Fine Art.
It wasn’t always this way; centuries past the wood workers were in high demand, their art valued along with gold and sliver smiths.
So what happened?
It could be the wonders of modern machinery have caused a slighting of the wood workers art; a press or a lathe makes it all look so easy. But the real trick to the Dremel magic is in the hand behind the tool. Just because it looks easy is no reason to think it is easy. Try making a filigree screen from a panel of expensive hard wood, knowing that one mistake sends the whole piece into the fire place. That’ll make your hand shake.
What about our wood carvers who model the birds and animals we live with? If they hadn’t come along and sharpened their chisels we’d have a hard time imagining a Dodo or a Passenger Pigeon. Illustrations are wonderful and necessary, but to grasp the subject, you’ll forgive the choice of words, three dimensions are the ticket.
Even the seemingly simple task of turning a bowl takes more magic than the conjurer’s trick, it takes a steady hand and a sharp eye and more than one ruined blank to catch the lightning. Every try to eat ice cream without a bowl, no ice cream, you’re eating healthy these days. Guess you found a way to have salad on a stick.
Our wood workers labor in obscurity. They know there’s magic in the task they do, they hope the rest of us can see that when the finished product is put on display and every now and then a craftsman dreams of making art. Charles Tatum worked in wood and the sculptures he made are destined for the Smithsonian, not at all bad for a redheaded step-child.
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