Looking at the tools hanging on the wall my gaze fell on the vertical line of spokeshaves and I began to count. 23! So many to choose from, one for every possible task, yet I use the same battered old no-name jobbie every time. I know its idiosyncrasies, intimately.
I counted the drawknives hanging there gathering dust. 12! A fabulous selection, of all sizes, for a variety of purposes, but, again, I only ever use one – a gorgeous, slender, elegant refugee from a French Farmhouse, with a chip in the blade, but so perfectly balanced and razor-sharp that to use it is to hold thin air and, making motions with outstretched hands, see wisps of wood lift from the work and fall to the floor as though by magic, as if thought alone made the shavings and shaped the object.
I looked around the workshop, taking in the dust, piles of old shavings and general untidiness, exactly as I had left it a long time ago, and silently sighed at the air of neglect. No point putting it off any longer, so I sat on the shavehorse and acknowledged the uneasy feeling that had been growing for a very long time.
“I try to create functional, beautiful works that will embellish your life and make you smile. My philosophy is simple – Less is More. “
It really could not be simpler! You would think, huh? It was once, most definitely, but it feels like it has been something else for quite a while now. I followed the thread and pinpointed when the change had begun – the exact moment; it had been a wonderful day and I had no idea that the absolute euphoria I was experiencing would, over time, twist itself into something else, less appealing.
I shook the matchbox, and it rattled. There were enough for my purposes, so I lit the pipe and thought on…….It was not, and is not, about making money, or whatever else…….it was always about the process and the thoughts, the little mental excursions. And, maybe, just maybe, seeing a smile, imagining that smile when all was done.
I worked through the matches, and the thoughts. Between puffs, the mental soliloquy went something like this:
“….I make a chair, or whatever, and if someone likes it, they can have it – free. Take it away…….But, maybe what is better is that they have to do two things for the chair: collect it themselves (or, arrange for its collection): make a donation to a charity for either mental health, the homeless, animal welfare, or a monastery in India. How much? I dunno, it’s up to them – €50, €100, €200, more, whatever they can afford….. or want to donate. I trust them to do this……”
The ember in the pipe died, but the warm soothing glow lived on in my smile. I will admit I’ve been formulating this for a very long time, but only now have I decided that it is the right course for me at this time. So, here it is, simplified:
- Once in a while I will make an Offering Chair
- If you like it, you can take it away
- All I ask is that you make a small, sincere, offering to one of the following:
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- Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery – https://tenzinpalmo.com/
- Pieta House – https://www.pieta.ie/
- Dogs Trust – https://www.dogstrust.ie/
- Peter McVerry Trust – https://pmvtrust.ie/
So, first up, I offer the last chair I made, Cliché.
If you would like this chair, get in touch, and let me know – we’ll work it out from there.