Traditionally Joined Nightstand: The How

For as long as I can remember, wood joinery has fascinated me. As a child I loved taking things apart to find out how they worked, but joined furniture always…

Traditionally Joined Nightstand: The What

Background For my project, I built a nightstand using traditional joinery techniques. And just what is traditional joinery? Drawbore mortises and tenons, wedged dowels, lap joints, and finger joints! Wood…

Nightstand Progress

Since my last blog post, I’ve gotten a lot done, though not as much as I’d hoped. At the moment, I’ve nearly completed the assembly. I just need to glue…

Organic vs. Geometric Ornamentation

For my project, I’m making an ornamented nightstand using traditional joinery. I find myself in an interesting position because I’m already a good way into my project. I’ve designed my…

My Aesthetic and Building a Nightstand with It

Growing up, I was surrounded by many influences. As they pertain to my personal aesthetic, I place them into 5 categories: dedication to craft, resourcefulness, regard for tradition, openness to…

Štefan Leonard Kostelničak

Štefan Leonard Kostelničak was a Slovak artist from the first half of the twentieth century. He traveled all around the Czechoslovak Republic (Modern day Czechia, Slovakia, and part of Ukraine)…

Ornamented Cloud Earrings

Inspiration The inspiration for my project came from Central European folk ornamentation, and more specifically, the work of Slovak Artist Štefan L. Kostelničák. Kostelničák researched and collected Czechoslovak ornamentation during…

Upcycle Progress Report: Ornamented Earrings

The inspiration for my upcycling project came from Central European folk ornamentation, and in particular, the work of Slovak artist Štefan L. Kostelničák. Central European folk ornamentation is incredibly varied…

Upcycle Aesthetic: Central European Ornamentation

I drew inspiration from Central European folk ornamentation for my upcycle project. The reason, oddly enough, was loneliness. My family is from Slovakia. Growing up, we ate Slovak foods and…

Bohemian Aesthetic

Young Bohémienne: Natalie Clifford Barney (1875–1972) at the Age of 10 The word “bohémien(ne)” was first associated with artistic, countercultural people in 1800s France. The association is confusing because the…

1912 Web Text about Lettering

I found this web text from 1912 about lettering and thought it was kind of cool! These days most of our “lettering” is done by a computer, but I’ve found…