It was Louis Nizer who said; "He who works with his hands is a laborer, he who works with hands and mind is a craftsman but he who uses hands, mind and heart together is an artist" But I say he is an artisan.
The Artisan Project is a blog where I highlight interesting people and their craft. You might ask; What is an artisan? There are several meanings and all apply to what I am trying to accomplish. Webster's Dictionary lists the following meaning: a person skilled in an applied art; a craftsperson. The Latin word art?tus means skilled in the arts. There is something almost spiritual about the way an artisan approaches his or her work. This is the essence of what I am trying to capture. This could be someone who is seen as a leader in their field or expertise and practices with the highest of standards. Basically, its my blog so I will include those who impress me! If you think you have the stuff of an artisan, please contact me for an interview.
I met Judy several years ago. Our sons know each other and play together so I see her and her husband David Andrews often. David is a professional photographer and is now on my radar for this project.
I have always been intrigued by Judy and her art and I was happy she agreed to be a part of this project. I have found some of the most interesting people are those that are not the first to speak and have a quiet way about them. To a certain extent, they let their work speak for them.
At first glance, you may think these are your typical sculptures of busts but after you gaze into the ceramic eyes of the person being portrayed you realize what your seeing almost has a life of its own. The character in each of Judy’s sculptures makes me want to know the story behind each piece.
Some of her pieces bring me to laughter and some to sadness. She will tell you the pieces I have highlighted are not her best but these are my favorites. Like my project they are not perfect but they have character and they inspire me.
I may rescue these from her yard tonight! Don’t worry Judy I’ll leave something there to replace them. Maybe a gnome or troll?
Please watch the interview video below. Her other work can be seen at her website http://www.judycondon.com/
We are happy to have Ed Lewis as our first Artisan. Ed lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee and is a professional wood turner. We now affectionately call him Artisan Ed.
I first met Ed when I was looking for someone to help us with a millwork project. We needed a few newel posts for the Hart home that had to be custom made because of the design requirements set forth by the owner. I was delighted to find that we had local talent like Ed Lewis.
I visited Ed at his shop which is located next to his home in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The first thing I noticed was this huge custom built lathe. Ed explained that he had the lathe custom built to suit his work style. This is the type of shop every man dreams about complete with all the tools a guy or gal needs to create art with wood. The next thing that drew my attention was the beautiful bowls he had meticulously turned and carved into functional art.
I have worked with wood most of my life but I have always viewed my work as simple functional pieces. I gained satisfaction in that I created something I needed such as a chest-of-drawers but never really thought of it as art. This, I think is the basic difference between a craftsman and an artisan. Ed's pieces have such character it is hard to think about placing my lucky bamboo in one of these handcrafted wood vases but I am sure this would be better than my current configuration of lucky bamboo in a plastic Porter-Cable wood biscuit container. Of course it is not that bad I do have aquarium gravel in it to spruce it up a bit :)
During one of my visits I found Ed teaching two of his students how to make a hollowed-out box, complete with a lid. Ed does not charge for these lessons, something I find incredible and further supports my assertion about artisans. An artisan cares deeply about his craft and will invest much time in promoting and continuing the art form. Ed has graciously accepted me as a student and I promised him I would keep the lathe below 10,000 RMP :)
In Ed I found what I was looking for in this project, an artisan who cares deeply about his work and art form. Someone who has set high standards for his craft and who is accomplished and continues to learn and teach others. This is the essence of an artisan.
The Artisan Project
