I'm an engineer, maker, and a lover of learning! I enjoy making things with wood, metal, fabric, paint, words, and pretty much everything else I try! I'm fascinated by folk art, how it interacts with the identity of its artists, and how it bears the imprint of their history.
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…
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…
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…
Where I’m At Two weeks ago, the Friday before Spring break, I wanted to take my nightstand and throw it in the trash. Maybe even climb onto a roof and…
I’m already a fair way into my project, but during planning and as I’ve been working I’ve developed a range of specifications and constraints for my project. I review the…
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…
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 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)…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…