Blog Posts

Amuse 2019 Poster Designer Erin Nolan

1/30/2019

Erin Nolan is a Florida-based graphic designer with over 20 years experience as a professional in the competitive – and often exasperating – art world. Originally from the windswept plains of Wisconsin, Erin earned a degree in graphic design, but has always drawn inspiration from decidedly non-academic sources.

“I’ve always had an eye for art and design. I love simple, minimalistic designs, but also find myself drawn to non-traditional and outsider works. The goal for me has been to marry the two in an organic way.”

Erin cut her teeth professionally doing commercial work in print shops; becoming an expert in printing techniques, logo design and the banal world of corporate clientele. “When I moved to Florida in the ‘90s, one of my first jobs was designing and printing those gas pump toppers you see at 7-11s. You know the ones – ‘HOT DOG and BIG GULP for $5’. It was heady stuff!”

In 2013, Erin dedicated herself fully to ERIN NOLAN GRAPHICS – a full service design and concept business that services a host of creative and corporate clients. She’s been the sole designer on projects commissioned by The U.S. Dept. of Energy, The City of Orlando, Live Nation, Hard Rock International and dozens more companies both large and small; while her artwork and logo designs have been commissioned by internationally-known musicians such as Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, John Mellencamp, Lydia Lunch, Evan Dando and Lee “Scratch” Perry. When she’s not designing, Erin plays bass, entertains a neurotic cat and hangs out with her husband of 12 years. You can find Erin online and view her work at www.enolangraphics.com

“Never mind whose blood it is. Do you like the design or not?” - Erin Nolan

2018 Amuse Sponsors

5/18/2018

Special Thanks to our 2018 Sponsors:

Thank you to our sponsors who helped support our 2018 Amuse Art & Craft Fair. If you are also interested in becoming a sponsor, learn more at: https://www.amuseartfair.com/sponsor-info.html

Amuse 2018 Press Release

4/9/2018

Amuse Art & Craft Fair
Returns to the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley

(Winchester, VA) Amuse Art & Craft Fair is excited to announce its return to the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley on Memorial Day Weekend, May 26 and 27 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. In its third year, Amuse will showcase 50 jury selected artists and crafters, exhibit original sculptural and installation art, and feature live artist demonstrations such as paper making, woodworking, and glass blowing. Visitors can shop while enjoying tunes provided by a live DJ, have a bite from a local food truck, or sip some regionally crafted wine or beer. Amuse will be held outdoors on the beautiful MSV grounds under tent, and is family-friendly and FREE!

About Amuse Art & Craft Fair
Amuse was founded in 2015 by art and craft enthusiasts Jaimianne Amicucci (The Gray Gallery and former executive director of Shenandoah Arts Council, 2015-16), Kim Johnston (Winchester Art Market and Murals) and Kerry Stavely (Tin Top Art & Handmade). The inaugural Amuse was held on May 21, 2016 at The Bright Center and on the Old Town Pedestrian Mall in Winchester, VA. It showcased twenty-eight artists and crafters and attracted several hundred visitors.

Following the first event, organizers were approached by Museum of the Shenandoah Valley Exhibitions Director, Corwyn Garman about a possible move to their grounds. As they say, the rest is history and the event moved to MSV in 2017. The fair was held in front of the Glen Burnie house on Memorial Day weekend, featured almost fifty artists/crafters and attracted about 2,000 visitors despite the rain! After this success it was a no-brainer to partner with MSV again for the third annual Amuse. The organizers continue to work year-round to grow the event, partnering with other community organizations and businesses to bring a unique experience which combines a handmade market with an art fair. The partners hope their passion for contemporary art and craft rubs off on attendees and that they can continue to nurture and grow Winchester's arts community for many years to come.

Event: 3rd Annual Amuse Art & Craft Fair
When: Saturday, May 26th and Sunday, May 27th, 10am-4pm each day
What: 50 Art/Craft Vendors, Demonstrating Artisans, Local Food and Beverage – FREE Admission
Where: Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, 901 Amherst St., Winchester, VA 22601

2018 Sponsors include: The Museum of the Shenandoah (Host Sponsor), Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Winchester, The Independent School of Winchester, and Route 11 Potato Chips

For a complete roster of vendors and activities visit: www.amuseartfair.com
or Facebook at: www.facebook.com/amuseartfair.com

Press Queries
amuseartfair@gmail.com or
Jaimianne Amicucci 845-915-0250
Kim Johnston 407-353-9074
Kerry Stavely 703-999-2997

General Inquiries
amuseartfair@gmail.com

2018 Amuse Artwork

3/30/2018

Thank you to Maple & Belmont artist Kimberly Munn for our gorgeous art!

Maple and Belmont is a design studio based in Norfolk, Virginia that specializes in hand lettering. Maple and Belmont was born out of a dream to create handmade stationery and other paper products which quickly expanded into custom work, including wedding invitations, chalkboards, logos, calligraphy services and more.

Kimberly is originally from Newport News, Virginia. She has always had a strong desire to own her own business and work in a creative field. Although she earned a degree in Business Administration from ODU, she went on to hold several graphic design positions at various studios. With a desire to get more out of life, she went to New York City where she lived in Brooklyn for 2 years. During that time, Kimberly found a passion in designing stationery with hand-lettering and illustration. While NYC was inspiring and exciting, it was also very tiring on the soul, so she packed up and moved back to Virginia. It was at this moment that she decided it was time to start a business of her own. Along with the support and help from her husband Derek, they have grown a business together that she is proud to call her own. If she’s not creating new designs for Maple and Belmont you can find her snuggling with her pug Petunia or dabbling in film photography for her blog Yellow Polkadots.

Amuse 2017 Art by Kathryn Carr

4/20/2017

Before I start a paper cut I first draw some sketches with various ideas for the silhouette art. I keep in mind what I want the art to convey and its purpose. When making a composition I really try and create a sense of movement, whimsy and express an emotion or feeling.

The organizers for the Amuse Arts and Crafts Festival desired a poster design that portrayed shopping and a festive atmosphere as well as leaving room for the written information. We collectively decided on a hedgehog, a bunny and a fox all gleefully carrying shopping bags under a canopy of trees, bunting, and birds.

After the final sketch was approved I drew the image on the back of the paper that was to be cut with a pencil. Once everything was drawn out I start cutting the negative spaces away. The tools I like to use include lots of disposable #11 knife blades that are inserted into a comfortable grip handle, a self healing cutting mat, a mechanical pencil with #9 lead, and a kneaded eraser. As far as paper goes I’ve worked with all sorts: rolls of Tyvek for larger projects, tissue paper, and my favorite paper is Strathmore or Canson with a paper weight of around 90lbs. I find that this weight is easy to cut and holds up well.
I usually like to start in the middle of the paper then gradually cut my way out to the edges of the design. As I go I turn over the art and see it from the finished side, that way I can see the progress and if anything needs altered. Once the cutting is complete I turn over the art and make any final touches and attach it to the backing paper. For printing purposes I’ll take photographs of the art and reformat the size and add hints of color if desired. Sometimes the art is mounted up off the background in a shadow box so it will look three-dimensional.

I have cultivated a line of greeting cards and prints using my paper cut images. They can be found at Tin Top gallery in Winchester VA and in various shops and galleries throughout the U.S. and on my website www.gocarrgo.com

Featured Artisan: Diane Harrison – Center Ring Design

5/20/2016

What is your medium of choice? As a potter, it is clay – preferring a smooth non-grog clay.

Why have you chosen your current medium? I have always been creative but never really found my niche. My husband bought a wheel a number of years ago for him – well, I appropriated it. I love the feel of the clay and how you can mold it and shape it. It has been a challenge for me and a learning experience on many levels which keeps me going back at it each day.

Why do you feel art is important/relevant today? Art has been with us since pre-historic times. It has always told a story, given us imagery for our gods, given us peace and fear in its imagery, and it has evolved like we have. I think it is probably more important today than at any other time. We have become so wired through technology, we tend to miss the picture, the experience, the wonder that art brings us. Whether it is a song, a story, a painting, a sculpture, and in my case, a thrown bowl or plate, each brings something different to our senses and helps to make us whole. Without art in our lives, we tend to leak all over the place and have nothing to plug them up with.

What has been the most difficult challenge for you as an artist? So many things!! Developing the skill is a challenge in itself. Just as I was getting good and selling, I ended up with vertigo so had to stop throwing last year. Also, had my knees fined tuned and deal with arthritic thumbs. But… I am a bit stubborn and love creating – so, found some fixes to deal with the issues and am producing my best work yet. The other challenge is pricing my work. Although, it is probably something I shouldn’t talk about… I do a lot of shopping around and comparing things and believe I have come up with a price that fits.

Is there anything you'd like the public to know about your work upon purchasing it? Other than being happy that they did and I can now buy more clay to make more, yes. Each piece is made individually, individually, glazed, and thought goes into each design. Pottery isn’t perfect – it isn’t supposed to be (I have to keep telling myself that) but it will last for a very long time and I am glad to be able to bring something into your home that is useful but still art. Yes, our work is more expensive than picking up something that has been pressed into a mold, but then, it wouldn’t be art.

What is the most gratifying part of making your work? Seeing someone pick up a piece of my work, feel it in their hands and seeing their eyes light up.

Where do you find inspiration? Pinterest, Etsy, other potters, nature. Pottery has been around for thousands of years, it has all been done many times over, what makes it yours is your glaze, a little change here and there, and what you make things for.

What's your studio playlist? When no one else is around – 21 Pilots and Cage the Elephant station on Samsung Milk. When people are around, usually some Celtic, a little classical – basically a bit more mellow.

Where is your studio? We built an addition on to our house about 5 years ago. We just applied for a special use permit so we will be opening up that space to the public for sales and have joined the Top of Virginia Artisan’s Trail.

How do you get yourself out of a creative rut? I go on walks with my artist neighbor, Norma Coleman. It is there we tend to work out solutions in both of our work. Also, my husband, Russ Harrison – a painter and sculpture, is a good sounding board too. He brings much more experience to the table than I have so that little extra helps push me in the right direction

Favorite blog/movie/tv show/book that never fails to inspire or just clears the mind. If that fails, Watch Kiki’s Delivery Service. One of my favorite Hayao Miyazaki movies. We have an artist in a creative rut and a girl who has lost her powers to fly. It is usually because we are thinking about it too much so I love the down time and the remembering of keep it simple.

You have a time machine. Where are you going? I would definitely like to bounce around. Would love to see Great Britain in the times of the early Celts. I love the 20’s with all of its great clothes. When I was six – things were great then. Mostly, I love just being here now.

Share your process - bonus points if there's a story behind it. The process has evolved and still does as my business does. These last few weeks though have been wake up with the birds, do some work in the studio, after grabbing a cup of coffee, get my son off to school, grab a bit of breakfast and then back to the studio after looking at my list of what needs to be made that day – a new process that is really helping. Each day is different depending on what needs to be done. Pottery is a multi-step process including cleaning up the piece the next day and doing whatever is needed to finish the pot – such as handles, holes, etc., then there is glazing, and two firings, and the dreaded clean up. Some nights I go back in the studio to do work that is needed – clay doesn’t like to wait for people.

What's your dream project - if you had all the time and materials in the world? Make my own set of dishes and bakeware. I never have time for that.

What artists influence your work - who are your creative idols? Simon Leach, Bill Van Gilder. Both incredible potters taught by other incredible potters.

Describe yourself in 5 words. Creative, driven, caring, vocal, perfectionist

Describe your work in 5 words. Evolving, functional, beautiful, tough, handmade
T
ell us something funny that happened recently in regards to your artwork. I guess I must look for this more – or find more humor in the fact that a pot slumped and is not usable or a bowl blew up in the kiln.

How do you find balance? My husband and my son. Norma and I actually talked about this topic recently on one of our walks. When you find yourself out of balance, it really isn’t being out of balance, it is growth. As you change, your old ways of doing things, processes, etc change too which makes you feel out of balance, it really is just you growing and if you grow with that and recognize what it is, then the emotional upheaval that can happen, is minimalized. I actually think of my son when he was little and in a growth spurt, he would always fall over or as he got bigger, would bump himself a lot – you are just getting used to your new place.

Is there a story behind your blog/shop name? Yes, when my son was born almost 17 years ago, we did a circus theme for his room – even painting stripes on the walls…. We started a domain of harrisoncircus. I started a graphic design business a while back and called it Center Ring Design to continue on with our circus theme with the tagline of We put YOU in the center ring. Then I started the pottery. Well, one of the key things you have to do is center the clay on the bat, otherwise, it will flop. So, the name Center Ring Design stayed as the name when spoken sounds like centering. Our official real name is now Center Ring Design Pottery and Art Studio.

What's your typical day? Coffee!! Usually drinking coffee while checking how things dried overnight. After Liam is gone and Russ has gone into his office, I start in with whatever is calling for me the loudest. Each day I will be doing multiple things – glazing, throwing, trimming, firing, cleaning. Getting the shop ready to open this summer will me a bit of a change – that balance thing – but it will also include getting our new website shop up and open also. I try to close down around four – lately it has been six with a return at some point before bed to tackle any last minute items that need attention – like forming the spout on a pictcher.

http://centerringdesign.com
www.facebook.com/CenterRingDesign

Featured Artisan: Vin Tin Welding

5/17/2016

What is your medium of choice? Metal.

Why have you chosen your current medium? I like the way metal looks, feels, and moves. It’s so strong but gives so freely when heated.

Where do you find inspiration? It could be something as simple as a shape of a cloud, tree, a line on a hillside, etc. I can make things with that. It’s all in the way things flow.

Where is your studio? Inwood, WV… The building was constructed in 1948. It was the machine shop used by Musselman Apple Plant. Very cool industrial feel to it.

How do you get yourself out of a creative rut? We do a lot of different things. If there’s ever something that holds me up, I leave it alone and move onto the next project until I feel inspired to get back on that original one again.

You have a time machine. Where are you going? I’d go somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains, pre-Civil War. I can picture myself doing what I’m doing today, only back then.

Share your process - bonus points if there's a story behind it. Everything starts with a design. We have to have a picture or a sketch, an idea of where we are going. From there, we draw it out 4 or 5 different times on the table. From the table, we take raw material, and then we hand forge every bit and piece, until those pieces form the template we have created on the table. Then we weld it, if it needs to be welded. We paint it, wrap it, and ship it.

What's your dream project - if you had all the time and materials in the world? I’d want to hand build a car that looks just like a 1929 Ford Model A using only parts that I make.

What artists influence your work - who are your creative idols? I don’t have any. I try to do my own thing. I am inspired by many metal workers, but I try to separate myself from the crowd. I try not to duplicate anyone’s work or copy anyone’s style. I seek advice from others who do similar work, but I take what I like and leave what I don’t.

Describe yourself in 5 words. I let my wife do that for me… she said, “Faithful, conscientious, determined, impassioned, and impatient.”

Describe your work in 5 words. Original, authentic, timeless, heirlooms, wrought.

How do you find balance? We don’t. We are self employed and have five kids. There is no balance. Everything about our lifestyle, and our life – is in constant motion. There just can’t be balance. We make it work though. I will say, my wife and I are both skilled in different areas of the business and we work really well as a team, so, although life is busier than ever, we have a smooth operation.

Is there a story behind your blog/shop name? VinTin was a name I had thought of when I was a kid. I have always had a passion for old cars, the first car ever made was a Model T Ford, often referred to as a “Tin Lizzie”. My dream was to start a hot rod shop, so Vintage Tin sounded great. Plans changed and we became VinTin, which ended up being very applicable.

What's your typical day? Wake up, drink coffee with my wife, eat breakfast with all my kids, make sure I have the order forms I need to start my day, leave the house. My paid apprentice and I get to the shop a few minutes after 10:00 a.m. everyday. We light the forge, open the windows, forge all day. We get many interruptions from clients and friends walking in, and phone calls, but it keeps things interesting. We leave no later than 5:00 p.m. We have modernized banker’s hours.

Featured Artist/Crafters: Susan Trask and Karen Watson

5/15/2016

Susan Trash of Earth Wind and Fleece

Karen Watson of Infusion Arts

Meet Northern Virginia artists Susan Trask and Karen Watson who will be sharing a booth at the Amuse Art Festival. This isn’t the first time Susan and Karen have collaborated for a show. They’ve had several 2 person shows and exhibits at galleries and studio tours in Loudoun and Fairfax Counties. They have a unique synergy that is rarely planned but always intriguing, making for an exciting exhibit of color and texture. Here’s a short interview with the artists to give you a glimpse of their motivation and their art.

Susan Trask of
Earth Wind and Fleece

What are your favorite subjects and/or materials for your art?
I love to create custom colors and blend various types of fiber and embellishments to create new dimensions. Lately I've noticed lots of leaf and vine-like shapes emerging in my work. I'm thinking that my gardens are subliminally influencing me.

How do you describe your work?
One-of-a-kind wearable art that's always something different and new. It could be color combinations that defy the laws of the color wheel, or holes meant for passing the opposite end of the scarf through. No rhyme or reason - always created in the moment.

What inspires you in making your art?
Rhythm - I always have music filling the air and the rhythm definitely gets me in the groove!

www.earthwindandfleece.com
https://www.facebook.com/EarthWindandFleece

Karen Watson of
Infusion Arts

What are your favorite subjects and/or materials?
Most recently I’m focusing on a few of my absolutely favorite processes — intuitively using texture and color for interesting abstracts, and painting over collaged papers as the backdrop for niches housing dimensional found objects. I also like to use acrylic medium to transfer photographic images onto collaged and painted backgrounds. These processes have virtually unlimited potential and are so much fun.

How do you describe your art?
I am a treasure hunter at heart, a gatherer of artifacts, and memories. Using a variety of materials, I strive to create a revered space for collected items, both those from natures such as shells, minerals, fossils, as well as man-made ones such as icons, game pieces or personal belongings. Likewise, my abstract work conveys my interpretation of a city skyline, an ocean vista or other setting, using contour and color to convey my feelings and memory of the place, to preserve it, and share it.

What or who inspires you in making your art?
Most frequently inspired by nature, I am also energized by the man-made beauty of architecture, the significance of historical artifacts and ruins, and the symbolism found in many cultures as evidenced in their maps, writing, and design.

www.infusionarts.com
https://www.facebook.com/karenwatsoninfusionarts

Featured Artisan: Studio Three 17/Fibergig

5/12/2016

Studio Three 17 is Textile Artist and Artisan Norma Fredrickson

Describe your work in 5 words: complex, primitive, evocative, tactile, resourceful.

The story behind the names:
Why Studio Three 17?
I have worked under my name for more than 40 years. And it never really satisfied me.
I am doing things differently now. I am working in Studio Three 17.
Studio because I am a life-long learner. A place with books, paper, computer, fabric, thread, paint, tools, and space to use them is a place I joyfully call home.
Numbers pervade my work and I have attached significance to them always. Some of it is like a personal mythology. I am always looking for threes, and there are many to be found. Spiritually, I am a Trinitarian. Finally, 17 is my personal number for abundance. It is a place from which I like to work. I was born on the 17th day of the month. One reason I chose Studio Three 17 is because I wanted to leave room for company. Often I like to work alone, but I wither without dialogue.

fibergig
Fibergig is a mother daughter duo passionate about all things fiber. With 55 years of combined experience we have touched a lot of fabric and yarn. It is our joy to make things that grace peoples' daily lives.It is our pleasure to discover fresh takes on classics.

How did we choose our name? The fiber is tribute to our chosen mediums. The gig part is a both the summation of our mother daughter relationship and individual passions. Many years ago, while struggling with a homework assignment, it came to light that there are always good ideas in our brains and that we are Good Idea Gals! Gig also alludes to a music (Norma) and horses (Emily).

My creative idols: I like to return to the question of who would you have a meal with / any one in history. I have two sets of companions. Members of the first are Henri Matisse, Gustav Klimt, and the writer of the gospel of John. Lunch conversation with the guys is about artistic techniques and visual and verbal poetry. The second set of creatives includes Hildegard von Bingen, Emily Dickinson, and Annie Oakley. The ladies and I will be having a leisurely dinner, filled with purpose. These three pillars served as the metaphorical generals of my armies when I was battling hard stuff. And now I am in the midst of good stuff and my generals still help with tactical insight.

The most gratifying part of my work is when it serves its purpose well. I began creating custom work in collage. I particularly like the communication process of commissioned work. When a garment gives the wearer confidence and energy, when an art piece evokes touch, and when a mural creates identity, it is then that I know the joy of my work.

http://studiothree17.com
https://www.etsy.com/people/fibergig

Featured Craftsman: Ron Light -Lighthouse Woodworking

5/6/2016

Ron Light routing a profile into the edge of a cherry table top.

Cutting, shaping, sanding, and finishing natural wood into something functional and beautiful takes time, and as such I find myself in my workshop at Lighthouse Woodworking at 9:00 am Monday through Saturday; I’ll turn the lights off at 5:00 pm most days. And Sundays we take the time to worship, relax, read, and rest.
The workshop is located in a stand-alone, three-car garage that boasts its own heating, cooling, and ventilation system, 1 ½ baths, a separate room for applying finish, and a showroom on the second floor. It’s a fifteen second walk from our back door to the shop, in and of itself a blessing. If I ever need to lift my mood, I turn on the radio and listen to the traffic report coming out of Northern Virginia!
So….why wood? I love the smell, feel, and look of wood. Every wood species has its own characteristics: color, workability, specific gravity, hardness, ability to hold fasteners, and so on. Worldwide, there are thousands of tree species; most of the furniture I build, however, is made from North American hardwoods local to the Shenandoah Valley. These include walnut, soft and hard maple, poplar, hickory, and cherry.
Few people seem to understand what it takes to build a piece of furniture out of solid wood. Apart from learning and perpetuating the skills needed to be a woodworker, I find I am often educating people on the steps involved in turning raw wood into something useful. It all starts with a tree….

< This black cherry tree grows on our property, within view of my shop. I would guess that it is 75-95 years old. It’s not perfect, and that’s the first lesson in working with wood: from the tree to the board, wood is not perfect. My cherry tree is subject to drought, disease, a seemingly endless onslaught of indigenous and imported bugs (ash trees are being decimated as I write this by a non-native insect called the Emerald Ash Borer), gunshots, nails, screws, and fence wire. If a tree manages to survive these maladies, the amount of useful wood out of the typical log is often low, with a waste factor of 50% or more.
But…with a sound log, somewhat straight, and of a good diameter, good wood can be found. These days, it’s often milled on a portable sawmill, using a blade that is a mere 1/16” of an inch thick, minimizing the waste from the blade’s kerf. To the unbeliever this will sound quite strange, but there are few things as beautiful as a freshly cut plank sawed from a log. Every log is different, and just as Mr. Gump once said, you never know what you’re going to get. Simply stated, wood is beautiful. It’s a joy to be able to do what I do.

Milled cherry, ready for use. This wood has > air-dried for several years. It takes about a year to dry a board that is 1” thick, two years to dry a board that is 2” thick, and so on. The boards in the center of this pile are “live edge”, meaning we left the tree’s bark and natural profile intact. The pieces of wood separating each layer of boards are called stickers.
Once the wood is milled into boards and dried, it is ready for use. Well, at least it is ready to be brought into the shop. There I remove any defects developed during the drying process, such as warp, twist, cupping, fungal growth, and so on. There is more loss at this stage….and still no furniture to show for it!
Sound wood is jointed (the process of flattening one face, and one edge of the board 90 degrees to that face, on a machine called a jointer), planed (the process of milling the wood to the correct thickness on a machine called a planer), and then cut to the correct width and length with various saws, both hand and machine. Energy is consumed throughout the process: mine and the utility grid’s. More waste can occur even after this processing; overnight the natural stresses in a freshly milled board can cause undesirable twisting and cupping. When wood is dried in a kiln (think baking the wood in a large oven to drive out the moisture) these stresses are eased, but kiln drying won't guarantee wood won’t behave in an odd way.
We’re now close to having something put together that resembles “furniture.” In a typical dresser, there may be dozens of components and dozens more operations that were performed to join these components into a solid whole.

< Components for a cherry dresser, and two cherry nightstands. An error in any single component can throw off the entire assembly; making furniture requires a clear head and some degree of patience!
With the components machined and tested for fit, now comes the task responsible for most carpal tunnel syndrome problems woodworkers experience: sanding. It is not uncommon for a woodworker to spend hours, even days, sanding wood. While the task is somewhat mindless, a lot can go wrong: fail to sand every piece of wood to the same degree, through the same grits of sandpaper (I start with 100 grit, move to 120 grit, and usually progress through 180 or 220 grit), and the mistake will telegraph through the wood when finish is applied. (Even with all this sanding, it’s still a joy to do what I do!)

Left: When all components are sanded, and then assembled, we finally have “furniture”. The cherry dresser, nearing final assembly. Right: The cherry nightstands, without drawers.

“Finishing” the furniture is the next major task. In this context, “finishing” means applying some kind of substance to the wood to protect it and enhance its beauty. There are literally hundreds of finishing choices on the market, from natural beeswax, to highly engineered polyurethanes and oils. Some finishes are not compatible with others (think oil and water), and some are best applied with a spray gun or other means. I prefer a Danish oil product to awaken the natural beauty of the wood, and once the oil has cured for 72 hours, wipe-on polyurethane. I usually apply three coats of poly to the furniture case, and six coats to the tops. And….I sand between each coat of poly.

A pair of cherry dresser drawers with Danish oil, and three coats of polyurethane.

Left: The completed cherry dresser. For scale, the top is 22” wide by 72” long. Right: The completed pair of cherry nightstands. The tops are 22” square.

I’ve walked you through the construction of a relatively simple dresser and nightstand commission, probably two to three weeks of work. Masters of the craft will easily spend six months on an elaborate 18th century secretary or knee hole desk. Furniture size and complexity dictate the effort required; however, even the simplest of projects takes time to do well. And it all starts with a tree!

See more of Ron's work:
www.lighthousewoodworking.com
www.facebook/lighthousewoodworking

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​Amuse Art & Craft Fair Returns to the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley

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