Comments on: Woodworking and Spirituality

By: Pamela Hanson

Pamela Hanson — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:17:10 +0000

My late father was a woodworker and experimental physicist. I’m looking for a poem about the spirituality of woodworking and related hobbies to read at his memorial service which we are now in the process of planning. The service is to be held on Oct. 17, 2009. Would you have any suggestions?

By: Mark Burrows

Mark Burrows — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:35:07 +0000

Bill,
Glad I’ve finally found your blog-site. I’ll stay in touch this way, and hope to keep up with all your various creative “doings”! We’re delighted you’ll be coming to give a talk, reading, and book-signing at Andover Newton. Keep at it!
Mark

By: William Everett

William Everett — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 15:37:42 +0000

Great to hear form you, Jyoti, on this point. At this point, as I said, I am collecting materials — both historical and contemporary — from people who are interested in this area. Anything you or Roshan or Lavanya have created that bears on this interest would be of interest to me. I have an earlier piece entitled “With the Grain” which is on our website, http://www.WisdomsTable.net, in the section on Woodworking that might interest you. In terms of people who have influenced me George Nakashima, James Krenov, and Ross Laird have been especially helpful.
I am continuing to work in wood myself, especially with round tables of various kinds, which are displayed on the same website.
Please stay in touch as you explore this area.

By: Jyoti Sahi

Jyoti Sahi — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 02:43:06 +0000

This theme of the spirituality underlying a craft like woodwork especially interests me. We now have two workshops here, one run by my daughter Lavanya,and her husband Gautham, for wood work activities, which also extends into their teaching related to the “wisdom of the hands”, involving young people from slums in Bangalore. Then we also have a ceramic studio, started by my son Roshan, which has also extended to his work with teachers from “ashram schools” in the Nilgiri district, where children from tribal and Lambani (gypsy) communities receive a kind of non formal education. Roshan has been working on what he calls “earth art” which combines his ceramic skills, with an interest in working with plants in the garden, and creating what he calls meditation gardens, especially with children in Jane’s Sita School. Together we have run courses in “materials as metaphors”, for students in design and technology. I would be interested to know more about your own approaches to the spirituality of working with materials like wood.