Perfection

Such an overused word, it's often used positively. But when I dig deeper I find it's often applied crudely and can even be counterproductive.

It could just be me, but perfect to me often means things of a somewhat clinical nature. People can obsess about a hidden joint, perhaps a dovetail at the back or a drawer. This is not a wrong way to work, it is no business of mine to instruct you what to think.

Rather I have come to have little interest in worrying about what I have become to feel is often trivial and risks missing the bigger picture.

I'm currently very interested in vernacular or as it's more commonly known, country furniture. This broad term means furniture that isn't “fine”. Fine infers the very best made for the most demanding and we'll resourced people. I am inspired by this type of work but it doesn't motivate me to reproduce it.

I'm therefore working in a direct fashion using the skills I have, trying to use feel with brisk work to make things that have that rare charm vernacular pieces have. My challenge is to make pieces that are honest, not clinical pieces of everyday furniture. Will I succeed? I can't be sure, but that's why I pick up the tools and see where the journey takes me.