We have just completed our fifteenth, and final winter term of our Impractical Cabinetmaker Program at the school. While many of our students have been less inclined to join us at this time of year with the short and dark days, Yvonne and I have learned to enjoy the solitude of this time of the year. We will continue to teach at Hasadna in Israel each year after the fall term, then return to our quiet part of the world and the warmth of the workshop for our own work. While I cherish the early morning time in my workshop, I am looking forward to longer stretches of focused time. I have has a couple of recent requests for pieces, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to return to my work.
In the coming months Yvonne and I will be planning and preparing the school for exciting new guest faculty programs durning what would have been our winter terms. We will be posting these on the website as they become available.
This past term we said goodbye to the Kirmse family. Over the years, we have had the opportunity to work with so many beautiful people, and saying goodbye is always a difficult thing me. Over the years students who return for a visit are often amused when I will remember which bench they were at. When I refer to benches at the school I often associate them with past students. On Friday when I was in the school preparing for the beginning of our spring term which begins on Monday. I was sad, but grateful when I looked at Justin’s empty bench and cabinet, sad knowing I will miss his presence, but so very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with this fine you craftsman, and even more to have him and his beautiful family as call friends.
I have often thought why do we have chairs as part of our Impractical Cabinetmaker Program? Jim didn’t make chairs, and our school is founded on and dedicated to his teachings. In short, Jim felt that the school should be providing craft education for the complete craftsman, and chairs are apart of our work and Vidar’s chair was his favorite chair. A few years ago Gary Kent, our relief teacher, joined me at the school on Sundays. Over the course of two years, he made a beautiful set in narra. He has told our students, that they were the most complex pieces he had ever made. After more than forty years in the craft, I think it says a lot about the chair. I have made many chairs, and do not think I could design a better chair from a learning perspective. It is a wonderful learning opportunity in graphics, shaping and progressively more complex joinery. Maddie just completed her third term at the school and a beautiful chair in some nicest white oak I have ever seen from our friends at A&M Wood Specialty.
Yesterday afternoon, I had a short visit with another gentle soul. Tomer had been over on Vancouver Island over break, staying at an intentional community and came bye to say goodbye before heading back to Israel. Midway through the term, we were joined by his partner Or, for a couple of weeks. Or reminded me of the gratitude I have for all the people in our lives who carry the other end of the plank. Tomer lives very close to Abirim, where Hasadna is located, and I am so happy that he will be reaching out to Oren upon his return. When students are beginning their journey as craftsman it is so important that they surround themselves with like minded individuals.
Over the years, we have had several engineers pass through our doors, many have gone onto becoming very fine craftsman. While engineers are often very skilled at finding solutions, the find that our craft is somewhat at odds with their profession. I am yet to come across one who has made the adjustment so effortlessly. While when the precision mattered, Darrell was most capable, but it was when sensitivity was needed, as in most every aspect of our craft, he really shined.
This past term we enjoyed having a couple of teachers from Australia with us. They both took full advantage of their time on our beautiful sunshine coast. Bob a high school science teacher and wood enthusiast, with a sound knowledge of Australian timbers. Kotti, a very skilled marquetry maker, who was originally trained as a traditional cabinetmaker in Hungary, divides her time between teaching youth, and adults at the Center for Fine Furniture in New Zealand. Kotti really embraced the toolmaking aspect of the program.
Nearly a decade ago, Yvonne took what was known at the time, as our Artisan Program, a very condensed version of what has become Impractical Studies. At the time, Yvonne maintained that she just wanted to know a bit more abut the craft, so that she could better help potential students with some of their questions. A few years back with Caroline’s departure we began Yvonne’s training as a teaching assistant at the school.
She has completed our Impractical Studies program several times, and continues to maintain our machines, run the office and assist students in the day to day operation of the school. I am so very grateful for her presence in met life and at the school. This fall my soul mate and I, after providing fifteen years of craft education will head to Israel to teach before heading to Europe. We have decided to go for a walk, a long one. We will be walking a nearly one thousand kilometres through France and Spain. We will use this time to reflect on fifteen years of craft education and plan our future plans for the school.
Leonard Lee, the founder of Lee Valley Tools once told me that if you hear a suggestion from your clients three times, you need to address it. In the past fifteen years I have honoured that commitment with one exception. Our students have insisted for many years now we participate in social media. I’ve always believed if you are going to take the time to do something you should do it well. I don’t enjoy computer work and neither of us enjoy the connectedness of society today, that said…
I continue to live in a beautiful place and work at something I love. Our school not only exists for you, but because of you. There is not a day that goes by that I am not reminded of this, and would like to take this opportunity to thank our alumni, and current students for all their support of our small, family operated craft school.
Be well and enjoy your work, I know I am…
Robert