George Nakashima - American Woodworker

"Swingman" <[email protected]> wrote:

> "Lobby Dosser" wrote in message
>
>> If the 'soul' is the sum of the tree's life experience, the creatures
>> it sheltered, the breath of every living thing that passed through
>> it, the seasons and storms it weathered, then you can either give
>> that 'soul' an extended life or choke it off. And it does not need to
>> be through art. A well made tool handle or shop stool will do.
>
> LOL. IOW, run it through a chipper and make newspaper, just don't use
> it for the Op-ed.
>

Depends on how good the writing is.

"Joe Barta" wrote in message

<snip>

> Despite all your apparent skills, that's one thing I can do that you
> cannot.

Perhaps therein lies the reason "Joe Barta" will never be said in the same
breath with Nakashima, Krenov and Maloof ... or Tom Watson for that matter.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 12/13/05

Tom Watson wrote:
<snip>

> I suppose that a summary would say that:
>
> Maloof finds a wood to fit his vision.
>
> Nakashima is given a vision by the wood.
>
> Krenov is a matchmaker between the wood at hand and the work to be
> done.
>
I like that. An oversimplification, as you admit, of each man's
intricate relation to wood, but as far as generalizations go, these are
good, they make sense.

Krenov in particular is difficult to pin down--I don't think he thought
very well or clearly about his craft. He just did it very well. He was
a terrible writer of his own processes, yet his writings preserve the
spirit of his obsession and his love for wood, and his work speaks for
itself. Such beautiful simplicity and harmony.

Thanks,
H

1943 - 1990 - Created some of the most interesting furniture and
architectural pieces of the middle and latter parts of the twentieth
century. ...

In 1965 I had the good fortune to visit Nakashima and order a walnut
coffee table --- one of the luckiest things I ever did. I still get
pleasure seeing that table in our living room. A few years back we
revisited the Nakashima studios and got a side table designed by his
daughter, Mira. He taught her well.

You can visit Nakashima --- I think on Saturday mornings. The studio
display is breath-taking. One warning ... Don't bring your credit card
or checkbook ... the stuff is so seductive it's damn near impossible to
leave without ordering something.

About 20 years ago as an office equipment repairman, I was sitting in a
law office in Easton, Pa waiting to be shown to the broken piece of
equipment I was to service. Suspended on the wall in front of me were
5 large walnut slabs. Each had its own beautiful, wild figure without
any straight grain. They were mounted to the wall from behind with
short metal posts. Each slab was about 6 inches short of the floor and
ceiling. They seemed to float in mid-air. I had recently started my
very serious furniture building hobby. I had been taught to always
seek out straight grained lumber and that anything else was practically
"firewood." But I couldn't take my eyes off these incredible slabs.
Each had its own personality. I commented to the receptionist how
beautiful they were. She called the lawyer who owned the firm and he
came out to meet me. He told me the slabs were made by a George
Nakashima from New Hope. He then gave me a tour of his office where
every piece of furniture was also made by Mr. Nakashima. From that
moment I never looked at a slab of wood quite the same. Years later I
bought The Soul of a Tree and Krenov's "The Impractical Cabinetmaker."
Two years ago I was fortunate to take a class taught by Jere Osgood.
Obviously there is much to learn from these master furniture builders.
And though each is different in their approach, they all have a
reverance for the medium. And while I doubt if I'll ever approach
their level, I still take great joy in bringing order to nature's
beautiful chaos by transforming a tree into a piece of furniture.

Didn't mention that he had a degree in architecture,
traveled all over the world, spending a fair amount
of time in Paris around the time Picasso and cohorts
were there, lived in an ashram in India and built buildings
there. He also made trips to see, and sketch, famous
trees.

Nakshima was not just a great woodworker, but close
to a 20th Century renaissance man - into all manner of
things.

And if you have to have a BIG ASS fork lift to move
your logs around, have them sawn per your specs
and have several buildings to hold your wood - you
have to have a real love for the stuff.

Nakashima, Maloof, Krenov, Tage Frid - where
are their replacements?

charlie b

"Dave Jackson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> (snip)Nakashima, Maloof, Krenov, Tage Frid - where
>> are their replacements?
>
> We are here. Working diligently in our shops. Learning all we can. With
> goals
> of mastering joinery, wood selection, design, and finishing. Constantly
> producing better and better pieces. Personally, I may never attain the
> level of one of
> the "great ones" but if I can even come close by the end of my life, it
> will
> certainly be my greatest accomplishment. --dave
>
> "There's a lot of work being done today that doesn't have any soul in it.
> The technique may be the utmost perfection, yet it is lifeless. It doesn't
> have a soul. I hope my furniture has a soul to it." -Sam Maloof

Mr. Watson...care to comment on Sam Maloof wanting his furniture to have a
soul?

todd

(snip)Nakashima, Maloof, Krenov, Tage Frid - where
> are their replacements?

We are here. Working diligently in our shops. Learning all we can. With
goals
of mastering joinery, wood selection, design, and finishing. Constantly
producing better and better pieces. Personally, I may never attain the
level of one of
the "great ones" but if I can even come close by the end of my life, it
will
certainly be my greatest accomplishment. --dave

"There's a lot of work being done today that doesn't have any soul in it.
The technique may be the utmost perfection, yet it is lifeless. It doesn't
have a soul. I hope my furniture has a soul to it." -Sam Maloof



"charlie b" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Didn't mention that he had a degree in architecture,
> traveled all over the world, spending a fair amount
> of time in Paris around the time Picasso and cohorts
> were there, lived in an ashram in India and built buildings
> there. He also made trips to see, and sketch, famous
> trees.
>
> Nakshima was not just a great woodworker, but close
> to a 20th Century renaissance man - into all manner of
> things.
>
> And if you have to have a BIG ASS fork lift to move
> your logs around, have them sawn per your specs
> and have several buildings to hold your wood - you
> have to have a real love for the stuff.
>
> Nakashima, Maloof, Krenov, Tage Frid - where
> are their replacements?
>
> charlie b

Tom Watson wrote:

> The people that I admire are so far ahead of me that I can't hope
> to come to grips with their understanding in my lifetime.
>
> It's a little frustrating but I keep reminding myself that these
> people are geniuses and I am not.
>
> I would just like to make one piece that I can respect ten years
> after I made it.
>
> Just one.

On the one hand I truly understand what you mean. On the other hand it
makes no sense to me WHY you would be soaked in such thoughts.

Once I made a simple work station for myself. Simple 2x3 construction,
pine drawers, plywood top. Drew it up in an hour and banged it out in
an afternoon. It's nothing special... other than being a sturdy and
very well used piece of furniture.

Every so often I find myself looking at it with pride. It's beautiful
in it's simplicity and utility. It doesn't take a genius to make
one... anybody could make it.

One difference between you and I, I suppose, is that when I look at
that piece, I can respect it. I feel good when I look at it. I made it
and it's a wonderful thing.

Despite all your apparent skills, that's one thing I can do that you
cannot.

Joe Barta

Swingman wrote:

>> Despite all your apparent skills, that's one thing I can do that
>> you cannot.
>
> Perhaps therein lies the reason "Joe Barta" will never be said in
> the same breath with Nakashima, Krenov and Maloof ... or Tom
> Watson for that matter.

That's never been a goal or priority for me. To me, woodworking is no
more a a spiritual thing than building a handsome garage or writing a
few slick lines of code.

Then again, maybe it's all a matter of degree. Sometimes I find myself
admiring a piece of furniture somewhere, running my hands over it,
feeling it as well as seeing it. I love the feel of wood in general.
Maybe that's spiritual. I don't know.

I think the point is, I don't want to be anyone else, I don't want to
be compared to anyone else and I don't want to mentioned in the same
breath as anyone else. I just want to be Joe Barta, be happy with
that, and have that stand on it's own.

Joe Barta

On Mon, 20 Feb 2006 17:53:09 -0800, charlie b <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Didn't mention that he had a degree in architecture,
>traveled all over the world, spending a fair amount
>of time in Paris around the time Picasso and cohorts
>were there, lived in an ashram in India and built buildings
>there. He also made trips to see, and sketch, famous
>trees.

"I became interested in Nietzsche, intrigued by his wonderful sense of
freedom. I read Thus Spake Zarathustra in French, because secondhand
French books were so cheap. This book was, in a sense, a springboard
for my departure from the ordinary sources of inspiration. I no
longer felt any particular attachment to technology or to the rootless
concepts of art popular at the time."

>
>Nakshima was not just a great woodworker, but close
>to a 20th Century renaissance man - into all manner of
>things.
>
>And if you have to have a BIG ASS fork lift to move
>your logs around, have them sawn per your specs
>and have several buildings to hold your wood - you
>have to have a real love for the stuff.
>
>Nakashima, Maloof, Krenov, Tage Frid - where
>are their replacements?

I believe them to be around us and within us but we must be more aware
than what our culture allows us to be, with its pounding backbeat of
sameness and mediocrity.

When I have spoken about philosophy and woodworking on this group
before, there have been those who thought that I was putting on airs
and gilding the lily, at least a bit.

The truth is that wooddorkers such as Nakashima and Krenov are more
than passing familiar with the roots of philosophy and its expression
during their time. Philo-Sophia informs and educates them in the
pursuit of their art and craft.

If we poor mortals are to uderstand them, we must first emulate them,
and then try our very best to understand them all over again.


>
> charlie b


Nice post, charlie b.



(Quotes from, The Soul of a Tree, 1981.)



Regards,

Tom Watson

tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)

http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/

In article <[email protected]>, charlie b <[email protected]>
wrote:

> Nakashima, Maloof, Krenov, Tage Frid - where
> are their replacements?

Take a look at many of the Readers Galleries in FWW. Lots of great stuff.

Maybe a couple of them might get promoted by the marketing machine to become
'sought after'.

Promotion and media exposure make stars out of some pretty ordinary artists.
That's not to suggest that Nakashima, Maloof, Krenov, Tage Frid and such aren't
deserving of the kudos bestowed on them, but to suggest that they're the only
ones out there is silly.

I have visited enough wood shows to have seen some fabulous work, knowing that
if some of these pieces had a 'Krenov' signature on it, the value would go way
up, without anybody knowing that 'Krenov' didn't make it... IOW.. the stuff was
good enough to have been built by any of the big names.

That tells me that Joni Mitchell's "Star Making Machinery" is alive and well in
any industry/ art form.

Heavy on image and perception, weak on substance.

On 20/02/2006 11:03 PM, Joe Barta wrote:

> Once I made a simple work station for myself. Simple 2x3 construction,
> pine drawers, plywood top. Drew it up in an hour and banged it out in
> an afternoon. It's nothing special... other than being a sturdy and
> very well used piece of furniture.
>
> Every so often I find myself looking at it with pride. It's beautiful
> in it's simplicity and utility. It doesn't take a genius to make
> one... anybody could make it.

Remember that some of Sam Maloof's earliest work was made from recycled
plywood that he salvaged from old concrete forms. It was quite simple in
design, yet to my eyes still looks pretty good today (in pictures; I've
never seen the real deal).

> The people that I admire are so far ahead of me that I can't hope to
> come to grips with their understanding in my lifetime.

Is it not possible that they feel the same way. I would bet more likely than
not. It's the person who is never satisfied and continues to reach for
something better that becomes the master (at least in other people's eyes).

Do geniuses/masters see themselves as such? I wouldn't know. Can it be
known?

I think the person who thinks "I have arrived" probably hasn't.

> It's a little frustrating but I keep reminding myself that these
> people are geniuses and I am not.

Yup, I hear that.

> I would just like to make one piece that I can respect ten years after
> I made it.

To be completely at ease with your past work would indicate that you have
stopped evolving (growing).

Disconcerting, but it's really not a bad thing.

-Steve

On Mon, 20 Feb 2006 21:39:13 -0600, "todd" <[email protected]> wrote:

>"Dave Jackson" <[email protected]> wrote in message

>> "There's a lot of work being done today that doesn't have any soul in it.
>> The technique may be the utmost perfection, yet it is lifeless. It doesn't
>> have a soul. I hope my furniture has a soul to it." -Sam Maloof


>
>Mr. Watson...care to comment on Sam Maloof wanting his furniture to have a
>soul?
>
>todd
>


I'm not a big Sam Maloof fan but I think that I know what he was
talking about.

Sam Maloof is an artist, equally as much so as Nakashima and Krenov,
whom I happen to greatly admire. As such, he brought forth something
of himself and invested his work with his vision.

I believe that he also thought that the material that he worked with
brought something to the process and that the interaction of the
artist in revealing the possibilities of the material in an artful way
and the material itself produced a synthesis that, when properly done,
expressed the soul of both the material and the artist.

Michaelangelo is said to have spent weeks at the quarry looking for
the perfect piece of marble that he believed to encapsulate his
vision for the work that he had at hand.

In his mind it was almost as though his sculpture was imprisoned in
the unformed rock and that it was his duty to set it free.

Artists such as Nakashima, I believe, question the materials more
directly and ask of them what they want to be.

Krenov seems to work in a similar way and is famous for collecting
wonderful pieces of wood and waiting for a project that is perfect for
them.

Maloof, as I understand him, is a bit more of a practical artist. His
joy is in the form and his vision is to fit the wood to the form,
rather than find a form that expresses the nature of the wood, as does
Nakashima.

I suppose that a summary would say that:

Maloof finds a wood to fit his vision.

Nakashima is given a vision by the wood.

Krenov is a matchmaker between the wood at hand and the work to be
done.


This could all be bullshit.

I haven't the slightest idea.


But it is fun to contemplate.



Does good wood have soul? Do you really doubt it?

Can its expression be enhanced or retarded by the maker? Once again,
do you really doubt it.



Your question is a good one and as with almost all really good
questions, can be answered over and over again.



Regards,

Tom Watson

tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)

http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/

On Tue, 21 Feb 2006 02:20:33 GMT, "Dave Jackson" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>(snip)Nakashima, Maloof, Krenov, Tage Frid - where
>> are their replacements?
>
>We are here. Working diligently in our shops. Learning all we can. With
>goals
>of mastering joinery, wood selection, design, and finishing. Constantly
>producing better and better pieces. Personally, I may never attain the
>level of one of
>the "great ones" but if I can even come close by the end of my life, it
>will
>certainly be my greatest accomplishment. --dave


Really nice thought and it describes the way I have felt for as long
as I have been trying to understand this craft.

The people that I admire are so far ahead of me that I can't hope to
come to grips with their understanding in my lifetime.

It's a little frustrating but I keep reminding myself that these
people are geniuses and I am not.

I would just like to make one piece that I can respect ten years after
I made it.

Just one.


Regards,

Tom Watson

tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)

http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/

Tom Watson <[email protected]> wrote:

> Does good wood have soul? Do you really doubt it?
>
> Can its expression be enhanced or retarded by the maker? Once again,
> do you really doubt it.
>
>

If the 'soul' is the sum of the tree's life experience, the creatures it
sheltered, the breath of every living thing that passed through it, the
seasons and storms it weathered, then you can either give that 'soul' an
extended life or choke it off. And it does not need to be through art. A
well made tool handle or shop stool will do.

"Lobby Dosser" wrote in message

> If the 'soul' is the sum of the tree's life experience, the creatures it
> sheltered, the breath of every living thing that passed through it, the
> seasons and storms it weathered, then you can either give that 'soul' an
> extended life or choke it off. And it does not need to be through art. A
> well made tool handle or shop stool will do.

LOL. IOW, run it through a chipper and make newspaper, just don't use it for
the Op-ed.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 12/13/05

"Joe Barta" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> Despite all your apparent skills, that's one thing I can do that you
> cannot.

Apparently, that's the ability to delude yourself.

"Tom Watson" wrote in message

>Maloof finds a wood to fit his vision

And his work exhibits more practicality, in certain respects, than most of
the other exalted names.

The way he has rounded off the edges of inset door and drawer fronts, as
well as the rails and stiles, to mitigate the necessity of perfection in
fitting these components, is a good example of this "practicality" in my
mind.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 12/13/05

"Joe Barta" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> Despite all your apparent skills, that's one thing I can do that you
> cannot.

Apparently, that's the ability to delude yourself.