“He who works with his hands, his head, and his heart, is an artist.”
The shop is our primary place of work. It is where bright creative minds meet tools and materials. Our shop is a bit like home, a welcoming place where ideas can be given birth.
Tools: The Romance of the Craft
Tools are an extension of our hands and heart. From the simple to the enormously complex, they are the most essential part of any craft experience. Using the precise tool within the right moment, is something that connects us with the process and the materials of any given project.
The Collection
Tools involve a lifelong passion that goes beyond merely gathering them. It is first and foremost the art of making sure you possess the right tool for the right moment. Scale of project, uniqueness of material, needs of reproduction, all of these inherent concerns demand a collection worthy of the commissions you are intending to acquire.
Tools as Art
Because tools are used in the creation of artwork, it can easily be missed that tools themselves are a work of art. Frequently possessing great beauty, a well made tool can be composed from rich materials, having wonderful shapes and bearing the distinct character of something well designed through the trials of time.
The Machine
Although the simplicity of a hand tool can never be matched, the scale and precision of contemporary machines possess a beauty of a different sort. Affording the opportunity for larger and more specialized projects to occur, they play a crucial role in situations where either the repetition or engineering needs demand the exacting tolerances that only a machine can provide. Hence, it is with this commitment to bring time saving devices, while maintaining our devotion to excellence.
The Quest
There is a tangible excitement that comes from a shop operating at full-scale. The whir of blades, the ease with which certain tasks can be made, and predicted results are the fruit of a time-honored process. This is where the symmetry of hand tools and machinery come together, mutually assisting the artisan to fulfill the original vision.
Technology and the Craft
It is easy to forget that tools no matter how complex are only an extension of our minds and hearts. As the artisan seeks to execute a certain project, the technology only has value as it assists in the overall process. It is the refinement within this daily conversation that causes every shop element to be evaluated as it relates to the whole. This internal dialogue is what makes the space of a shop the living context of every great commission.
