I received a wonderful package from UPS yesterday containing a basket by Leon Niehues. It was a piece I was able to commission last fall when we were together at a show. It is woodwork, or at least a form of woodworking in that it is made from thin strips of white oak, each piece rived by hand from solid wood. No piece of work could be more symbolic of the Wisdom of the Hands than basketry by Leon Niehues. He is one of my fellow Arkansas artists and one who's work I have admired for many years. My wife and I are incredibly pleased to add his work to our very small collection.

There is a particular matter of concern for myself and many of the other makers I've met in various shows. We look around, and wonder where all the young artists are. We wonder what it will take to encourage others to take our places when we fade from the scene. Will what we have studied and worked hard to develop end without being passed along to new generations?

To attain the high level of workmanship and artistic merit that you find in the piece shown above, or in the work shown on Leon's website requires a lifetime investment in vision and skill. If we don't encourage our children to find joy in creating with their hands, guess what?

I may be very slow in contributing to the blog at times. If so, please feel free to use the search box above. It is a valuable tool for digging into the recesses of over 6 months of blogging. One suggested search term that you might enjoy is "sloyd." Or type in "Sweden" and you can follow my travels to the home of sloyd. Also, the links at right will carry you into the archives. Pick a month, any month. It's all about the hands in education.