Giving us those drawing exercises, I suspected was intended to silence me! This was homework, and had to be done in our own time, in the evenings after work. I finished mine sooner than he expected. His signature and "remarks" suggests that he was satisfied.
The company probably had good intentions, but soon discovered that "Hand Carving" could not be taught in a few years, and after all they were running a business. Sometimes people are misled, and are told they can do short courses to learn. That’s fine as a hobby, but not when you have to hand carve in a professional business. Even after all these years, one never stops learning, and there is always someone who knows something you don’t!
People who love woodwork, please don’t believe that you can be a craftsperson after two years, or even by serving an apprenticeship! It’s not that important, it's just the beginning. Also, be careful of awards and trophies, as they are just someones personal opinion, and can be very misleading, even DESTRUCTIVE in the long term.
Creating Period Furniture is an ART! There is a lack of interest in it these days, simply because there are so few "craftsman" capable of teaching the skills required.
The word Craftsmanship, is regularly misused. When I see antique furniture, I always ask myself, can I make it? Calling it OLD SCHOOL, in my book, means I can’t!
The top sketch was the exercise, the bottom was my interpretation, two thirds larger.
Comments