One of the things that you learn as a craftsman is that you are not in it alone. And you will also learn that those who are most supportive of your work will quite likely be those who have some sense of the creative capacities of their own hands. You remove crafts education from schools, and you also remove an understanding of the patronage that is required to sustain the great works of human culture, period. My very best customers have been people who are creatively engaged in their own work. I can name names, and I am completely surprised that we don't have a clear and widely held understanding that when you commission work, you also commission growth, and the objects that serve as the foundation of human culture don't arise on their own from the blue, but arrive through the encouragement of others. Jim Nelson is an example of an artist who understands his own role in the nurturing and sustenance of the arts within his own community and the first photo at the top of the page shows the entry hall of his home. The bench is the one I did with help from the students at Clear Spring School, and the wall sculpture is one of Jim's creations.
Following below are some photos of the works that I did for Jim and Susan Nelson over a period of years as I developed (with their encouragement) as a craftsman. The last photo below is a piece of Jim Nelson's most recent work.
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