For the past few years, several of my photos have been hanging in a local restaurant. It has been a pleasure to sit down at a table and look up at one of my favourite creations.
The restaurant is now changing hands and so the photos have been returned to me. It was a little exciting as I opened the box to view all of the photos, some of which I had forgotten about. Obviously they had been some of my favourite images at the time and I am once again captured by the beauty of the subjects. Several “ooh, aaah’s” later, I took a closer look at my work, analyzing the elements of composition and lighting.
It is interesting to look back at one’s work and see how far you have come, how more advanced your skills are than when the journey began. I look forward to the day that I can look back at my beginning woodwork projects and say “ooh, ahh… look at all I have learned since then.”
My little napkin holder shall forever be a treasure, not because of its quality or even functionality but because it was my first and because it is where the journey began. Years from now I will be able to look back and see where it all started and take pride in all that I have learned—I hope
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
4 comments so far
dennis mitchell
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3030 posts in 841 days
posted 673 days ago
Followed your web site and saw some of your photos. Wow! Beautiful work! If you get to that level woodworking your work will be awsome!
-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com
MsDebbieP
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12242 posts in 687 days
posted 673 days ago
thanks Dennis :)
My photography skills have a long way to go and i’ve doing that for a while. And for me, the camera was easy – this woodworking stuff.. well, we’ll see.
thanks again for your kind words
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Don
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2586 posts in 703 days
posted 673 days ago
Debbie, I share your experience in a slightly different way. One of my inspirations in woodworking continues to be my Dad. Like him, I took up woodworking after I retired. I have a number of his pieces which I cherish. When I first received these as gifts, I was most impressed with his skills. When I started my wood crafting journey, one of my goals was “to be as good as Dad”. But as I’ve learned in other aspects of life, one has to keep adjusting one’s goals. If I may say so, and I don’t want this to come across as immodest, I now need to shoot for a higher standard.
Now, I still love the pieces he gave me, both for their quality and sentimental value. But it’s primarily the sentimental value that matters to me. And it will probably be that way with the pieces I pass on to my family members. The skill level may be appreciated, but it’s the memories they evoke that give them their real value.
-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/
MsDebbieP
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12242 posts in 687 days
posted 673 days ago
You are so right. Just as I was saying in messages about the beautiful rocking horse, one of my treasured memories of my Dad is when he made me the hula skirt out of binder twine: it wasn’t about quality or even functionality, it was that my Dad took the time and effort to make it for me. I wish I still had that skirt.
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)