We have just completed the first week of classes in our new school. Our school, is now located on beautiful Keats Island, just across the harbour from Gibsons, British Columbia. We opted for just two returning students this term to enable us to fully dial in the new facility. We will be operating at our full capacity of three students for our winter term which begins November 15th. With the smaller class size and new online registration system, classes are filling quickly, so if you are considering taking our Impractical Cabinetmaker Program, it is best to plan ahead.
We have so much to share of our journey, but at the moment Yvonne and I are catching our breath after what has been a very busy nine months. With the school now set up, we both feel very blessed to be able to continue to offer quality craft education for the aspiring amateur in such an inspiring new location.
A few years back I invited Shawn Hunt, a local first nations artist to speak to our students. One of the things he spoke of, that has always stayed with me, was saving the work of a detail that you are most excited about for near the end of creating a piece. As setting up our new school was very much a creative process, I decided early on, that it was bringing the wood into the school that I was most looking forward to, and would save that for last. While the facility was essentially ready for the start of our term, it wasn’t until the wood came into the school this past week that it really felt complete.
Our new bandsaw mill will be arriving later this fall, at which time, we will begin milling the material for a large drying shed, green house and modest onsite accommodation for our students. In the coming years we plan on selectively harvesting wood from our property to be used in our school.
Our new school is a working school, returning to the vision Jim and I shared nearly two decades ago. I am filled with gratitude to be able to work among my students in such a beautiful place. This week between assisting our students in their work and moving wood, I returned to my own work and began the surface preparation and edge treatment of my little brown oak wall cabinet. This coming week, I will be moving onto fitting the two curved doors.
Be well and enjoy your work,
Robert