Once upon a time…I got a job in a sawmill, and began to learn about wood in all its beauty, variety and utility. While helping cut lumber blanks, I’d handle the trimmings too; often unusual and interesting pieces would come through that were far too nice to go straight to the bonfire pile. I developed my frame-making skills to give these specimens a future life.
Sawmillers say that opening a log is like opening a present: you never know what you’ll find. The tree’s life story is laid out before you, saying here I was struck by lightning, here I healed over a broken limb, here a squirrel stashed a nut and forgot about it, here a bunch of insects gnawed me. Each tree tells a tale about the steepness of its home slope, its wind exposure, soil and light conditions, and all the fungal, plant and animal communities to which it belongs.
I’m thrilled and fascinated by it all. In the course of experimenting with materials I’ve formed opinions about which species have spectacular endgrain, which look great quartersawn, which have bark that will stay on and can be shaved into a beautiful reveal, which look their best with some added color, which are favored by particular insects that leave their graceful tracking. These are the elements I like to showcase in my frames.
I make standard sizes, and custom sizes too. I enjoy the collaborative nature of framing, and sharing the mutual spark with people when we find the perfect wood for your project!