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The art, science and craft of making things.

27 June 2020

These are a few of my favorite things : the art, science and craft of making things… and with that, the immense appreciation of the creative process and the difficult journey that makes a crafts- man or woman.

When I started my journey, I did so on a whim and a shoestring… 

It was of course rooted in something much deeper – something mysterious; a sort of a mirage you see in your mind or a feeling that you experience. But walking that path is a lot more precarious than any clinical explanation could express.

Most paths through life bring interesting perspectives and vistas, that those on other paths in life may be ignorant of. The journey of the craftsman is one of these vistas, and more people are aware of what it means to be a craftsman, than many may realize.

I think here one can look at the idea behind the term Kung fu, the Chinese martial art - Kung fu refers to a skill that is learned through hard work and practice. Also, if you take the definition of “an art” (that one practices), ~ a superior skill that you learn by study, practice and observation. And if you take these ideas to the level of mastery, it provides an endless treasure of mystery, art, design, engineering, craft and science.

My utilitarian and minimalist creations do not rely on over refinement or embellishments, There is no hiding away of structure, natural textures or the evidences of the production process – on the contrary, I celebrate these and I tell the story, etched into the final finished object – a story that the end user shares in, and continues...

riaan