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Woodworker Challenge #1
A relative of mine has been a dress designer for Simplicity for many years. Once, in commenting on dress design, she said, "It's all about the buttons." To make her point: a woman may be beautiful in a lovely white dress, but add appropriate buttons and she becomes even more attractive. Add a red scarf, a turquoise sash, or dazzling shoes and she becomes stunning. Accessories are often more engaging than the dress. Every woman know the value of accessorizing.
This is true in woodworking as well. Good workmanship and interesting design make an attractive table, but it is the artistic touches that transforms it into a work of art. And this applies. not only to the selection of hardware or the finish, but to all elements of the design and the appropriate level of detail. And the environment, the presentation, needs to be considered as well. A cedar chest in the back room of a dusty antique store may attract the bargain hunter, but once purchased it needs to be placed in the proper location, in the proper surrounds, and in attractive lighting. Too many good working projects are not fully appreciated because the totality of the presentation is not given full weight.
The objective of this exercise is to consider a simple table made using mortise and tenon construction. The challenge is to consider all aspects of woodworking design to achieve a artistic interpretation, Thus, the initial design, construction, choice of materials, form, color, spacial composition, detail, texture, pattern, lighting and environment need to be explored. And then the construction and artistic process needs to be defined. So, the challenge is to plan a project, where all elements of design, and your imagination, are employed to create an expression of your artistic ideas and vision.
For example: how would you modify this simple design and environment to express your artistic and woodworking skills? What would you do to:
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