Adventures of an Imperfect Man In Search of a Handmade Life
Make something with your hands every day, some wisdom from Mahatma Gandhi. It has been my goal for a long time now to follow this creed and it makes me happy nearly every day; even if it is something small, it is a small victory. "Its a tragedy of the first magnitude that millions of … Continue reading Creating Every Day
I was thinking last night about a remarkable artist I first read about in The Blinking City, Luigi Prina. I posted about him before but his work never ceases to amaze me. Mr. Prina has been an architect for over 50 years but his model building is a real combination of inspired art and fantasy. … Continue reading Luigi Prina: A Fantasy Artist of Straight Out of My Dream World
A good post by Wesley from Wesleyworkswithwood. I like lists. I enjoy seeing tool lists that people think of as essential. I used to like the packing lists for backpacking that the Boy Scouts printed. I like the lists that traveling Buddhist monks put out as part of their order. Lists pare us down to the bare bones and make us think about what we have, what we need, and what we want. Head over to Wesley’s and get in on the discussion. It should be a grand old time.
My beginner’s tool list:
This post got away from me. Here’s what I hope to get out of it: a conversation. Do you think someone could get started with what I’ve listed above? Can something be removed from that list?
I…
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To aid in downsizing our worldly possessions (and tons of raw materials), I initiated the buckskin bag project. The goal is to produce as many little beauties as possible while experimenting and learning new techniques. This is the first run of bags, which still require embellishments, closures, and neck straps. More to come...
What a beautifully shot movie about 80 year old Huarachero Nicolás Lizares.
For more detailed photographs check out a previous post titled Nicolás Lizares – Maker of Fine Huaraches from Tapalpa, Jalisco
A beautiful, but all too short of a film showing a master luthier at work. http://vimeo.com/80626929#
A story of a remarkable artist from The Blinking City. Mr. Prina has been an architect for over 50 years but his model building is a work of art and fantasy. Building flying models from paper and balsa wood since he was very young shows his amazing and artistic genius. Many look like images from … Continue reading Luigi Prina: The Ships That Sail Through the Clouds
Here's some images from a short eBook on woodworking by Peter C. Welsh. A quick read with some good stuff in it. Not just eye candy, there is good information contained in this study of tools. But really, I'm just in it for the tool porn. I particularly like the comparison of tools owned and … Continue reading More Woodworking Tools on the ‘net
by joshua minnich http://www.flickr.com/photos/anmm_thecommons/
Another reblog. Markus has done an excellent review of pack baskets here.
Its fair to say that my personal interest in woven Mexican Huarache footwear extends to everything woven. As far as I know despite all the technological advances in history, woven Huaraches just like woven baskets cannot be made by machine and have to be made by hand. In someways this makes basketry and Huarache weaving one of the highest forms of craft.
For more information on the craft of Mexican Huarache footwear please visit Huarache Blog.
Although basketry is one of the earliest forms of craft in the world, its unclear how long woven Basket Packs have existed for, but many old designs are still used in many countries around the world.
Some old paintings and prints help trace Basket Packs to 1400-1500’s.
The Adirondack Pack Basket as it is known today is traditionally made…
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There’s been a noticeable increase in crafted products over the last 5 years.
From Artisan Bread, Chocolate and Beer to handcrafted bicycles, bags and belts. Crafts have been celebrated in books, documentaries and Design fairs. Artists like Joana Vasconcelos have adopted crafts such as crochet and lace for their chosen media, and even graffiti has taken a crafted turn with new techniques in stenciling and knit-bombing. With significant developments in progressive crafts such as digicraft, many industrial designers are also turning to craft values instead of the traditional industrial ones.
But why is it that in today’s increasingly technological culture is there also such a strong crafts vibe?
A successful exhibition titled POWER OF MAKING at the V&A in London recently celebrated this craft resurgence and presented some reasons for it. A few of the exhibiting artists, designers and craftspeople like Ji Yong-Ho and Demakersvan have already…
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Thanks Dave, for pointing this out to me. Great stuff!
Preindustrial Craftsmanship 