Maker vs. Painter

Sometimes I think I would rather be called a "maker" than a "painter." Both are considered artists but I have never wanted to feel limited or boxed in to only applying paint to canvas.  No matter the medium I get a real thrill out of seeing something that did not previously exist come to fruition with my help.

When my husband and I decided to replace our dining room table I wanted it to be something special - a creation that spoke of all we have come to love living in the mountains.  I also knew that I wanted it to be one of a kind and that we wanted to shepherd it into being.  I knew that my neighbor Bucky salvaged trees, dried wood and supplied some furniture makers with quality pieces so we picked his brain to start.

Wood needs to be kiln dried for a very long time so that the moisture moves out of it slowly - rushing this process means that whatever you build is very likely to warp and move as it finishes drying over time.  Bucky had lots of large pieces stored and was all too happy to share them and discuss the type and history of each piece.  Above my husband measures an eye-catching slab to see if it will work for us.

Once we selected our piece Bucky had to further plane it.  This is when we took chalk and discussed where we wanted cuts for our table.  We definitely wanted to preserve the "live edge" and knew there was a split at one end as well as a knot in the mid-section.  Creative minds could plan but the tree would have the ultimate word as it would react to our plans with a plan of its own.  Bucky hooked us up with Boone, a unique and colorful character who would make the final cuts and work on the endless sanding and polishing.  We had selected very plain metal legs for our table and guessed we would have pieces leftover to use for other designs as well.

This is in Boone's workshop - a fascinating place of creativity.  If you can dream it, he can build it as evidenced by the amazingly artful home he constructed all from materials found on his property.  Boone was kind to include us in every stage of the transformation, he answered my endless questions and took an interest in the supports we had chosen.  He really made us feel like collaborators in this effort.

We are thrilled with the results!  It was even his idea to make a bench for one side of the table (which will fit lots of little grandchildren butts).  He filled the knot (far left in photo) to look like an endless black hole and polished every mark of the wood to optimum advantage.

We had enough of a slab left for a small end table and decided to put "hairpin" legs on it.  And below he made us a coffee table with some silver legs I selected.  While he was interested in my leg sources I was endlessly interested in the various grits of sandpaper he had to use to get this light maple wood so soft in texture.

I shared with Boone that while I loved our new furniture it made me sad to realize "our" project was over.  I told him that while some folks might spend more money no one, no one, would have more enthusiasm for his work.  He grinned one of those humble mountain smiles and responded, "gosh, that compliment means more than money to me."

See? We makers can't help but get excited when anything unique is created.  I know Bucky is an artist in his field of wood preservation and Boone is surely an artist as well.  I love to paint but I think becoming a "maker" is my true calling. I enjoy the collaboration of artistic minds and talents.

Cindy Michaud
www.cindymichaud.com
questions: art@cindymichaud.com